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DARPA Awards $1.7M contract to Maxwell Technologies to develop advanced mobile energy storage device combining ultracaps, battery pack and power electronics

Maxwell Technologies, Inc. has been awarded a $1.7-million technology development contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the initial phase of a multi-phase program to develop a energy storage system combining an advanced ultracapacitor module, an advanced battery pack and power management electronics.

The target application is a lighter, longer-lasting, energy source for field radios and other portable electronic equipment carried by military personnel.

Maxwell will lead a team including the US Navy and the University of Massachusetts. The goal of the program is to develop an enhanced energy source that will provide extended run time and longer operational life than existing batteries alone, thereby reducing the requirement to carry heavy, bulky, spare batteries. To ensure that field military personnel are energy self-sufficient during extended missions, they typically carry primary and spare batteries weighing more than 60 pounds to power a growing assortment of portable electronic equipment.

This is an exciting opportunity to leverage Maxwell’s energy storage technology expertise and development resources with external funding and other team members’ resources and expertise to accelerate development of very promising next generation energy storage technology. This program will further demonstrate the synergy between batteries and ultracapacitors, and, more importantly, lead to improved energy storage solutions to support the effectiveness and safety of our armed forces personnel.

—David Schramm, Maxwell’s president and CEO

The award provides funding for an initial, one-year phase, with options for two additional phases which, when approved, would result in total funding of up to approximately $8 million.

Comments

HarveyD

Interesting development project. A combo storage unit using high power density super-caps and high energy density batteries would be effective for larger PHEVs.

SJC

Maxwell has to show that they have a cost effective solution when it comes to transportation. They also run into patents that are out there.

http://green.autoblog.com/2010/07/27/afs-trinity-returns-with-historic-patent-wants-its-powertrain/

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