Altair Nanotechnologies Receives $250K State Grant to Support Li-Ion Work

23 November 2005

Altair Nanotechnologies (Altairnano), a supplier of advanced ceramic nanomaterials used, among other applications, in lithium-ion battery electrodes, has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Indiana Advanced Energy Technologies Program (AETP) initiative.

The Indiana Energy Group has awarded six grants on a competitive basis from this program during 2005. The grant funding must be used to manufacture products containing products that are not currently in the U.S. market, and that are above industry standard in terms of energy efficiency (e.g. hybrid automobiles, fuel cells) and/or incorporate an innovative technology, such as nanotechnology, that allows the product to save energy.

The grant funding will help Altair purchase and install production and test equipment for lithium-ion cells, batteries and battery packs in its development and manufacturing center in Anderson, Indiana. The center is open and pilot manufacturing is anticipated to begin by the end of the first quarter of 2006.

The addition of our in-house manufacturing and testing capabilities for lithium ion cells, batteries, and battery packs is expected to reduce development time and expedite commercialization of our battery electrode materials.

This expansion will allow Altair to conduct accelerated testing of battery materials and battery products and provide application development capabilities for continued discussion and development work with large potential customers and strategic partners located in the U.S.

—Altair President and CEO Alan Gotcher

With Altairnano’s rapid charge Lithium Titanate Spinel electrode nanomaterials, recharge time of some prototype lithium-ion batteries built with ABAT was cut to approximately 30 to 45 minutes, compared to recharge time for existing ABAT batteries of approximately 3 to 3.5 hours. (Earlier post.)

Altairnano is also part of a research consortium that recently received an additional $2.5 million Phase III grant award from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to further the development of solar hydrogen generation cells. (Earlier post.)