The United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC (USABC), a collaborative organization of FCA US LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors, today announced the award of an advanced battery separators development contract, valued at $2.5 million, to Celgard LLC in Charlotte, N.C.
The 24-month contract award is for the development of advanced separators to enable technical evolution toward high-volume, cost-effective and durable 5.0-volt lithium batteries for automotive applications. The competitively bid contract award includes a 55 percent cost share by Celgard.
USABC is a subsidiary of the United States Council for Automotive Research LLC (USCAR). Enabled by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), USABC’s mission is to develop electrochemical energy storage technologies that support commercialization of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric and fuel cell vehicles. In support of its mission, USABC has developed mid- and long-term goals to guide its projects and measure its progress. For more information, visit https://uscar.org/usabc.
“The contract award with Celgard is part of USABC’s broad battery technology research and development programs,” said Steve Zimmer, executive director of USCAR. “Programs like these are critical to advancing the technology needed to meet both near- and long-term goals that will enable broader scale vehicle electrification.”
In 2008, Celgard was awarded a USABC/DOE contract valued at $2.3 million for an 18-month program focusing on the performance characteristics of separators for use in lithium-ion vehicle batteries.
About DOE
The U.S. Department of Energy’s overarching mission is to advance the national, economic and energy security of the United States. DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office works with industry, academia and national laboratories to develop advanced transportation technologies that improve energy efficiency, increase energy security, and reduce operating cost for consumers and business. Electrochemical energy storage has been identified as a key enabling technology for advanced, fuel-efficient, light and heavy-duty vehicles.
About USCAR
Now in its 25th year, USCAR is the collaborative automotive technology company for FCA US LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors. The goal of USCAR is to further strengthen the technology base of the domestic auto industry through cooperative research and development. For more information, visit www.uscar.org.
Celgard LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Polypore International LP. For more information, visit www.celgard.com.
