Axion Power Awarded $380K from ALABC to Pursue PbC Technology Tests
05 February 2009
Axion Power International, Inc has received a pair of grants totalling approximately $380,000 from the Advanced Lead-Acid Battery Consortium, (ALABC). The grants will help support further research into two key areas: (1) the lead sulfate corrosion that tends to accumulate on non-PbC lead-acid anodes, shortening the useful life of batteries in most cases; and (2) the use of non-corroding PbC batteries in HEVs (hybrid electric vehicles).
These grants follow the announcement of a grant from the State of Pennsylvania to advance demonstrations of the PbC systems in HEVs, PHEVs (plug-in electric vehicles) and EVs. (Earlier post.)Both new grants address work on energy storage, energy density, inexpensive battery technology options, and the diminution of carbon emissions.
The grants are administered through the Durham, NC-based International Lead Zinc Research Organization acting on behalf of the ALABC. The first grant seeks to identify “the mechanism by which the optimum specification of carbon, when included in the negative active material of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, provides protection against accumulation of lead sulfate during high-rate partial-state-of-charge operation.” The second grant seeks simply to characterize “Axion's Proprietary PbC Battery in HEV-Type Duty-Cycle Testing.”
Work on the grant objectives is set to begin in the next couple of weeks.
Lead-acid is over a hundred-years-old and what's Axion been doing for years if not research? Do these battery firms just research? Did they use up the $1.2 Million DOD Project funds, etc..
Someone needs to put product in the public and get on with it..
Posted by: pat | 05 February 2009 at 10:55 AM