The initial EssEs meeting will be held 24 May 2011 at Southwest Research Institute.

The information gathered through this consortium will be critical to the future of hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, both in the United States and in the global market place.

—Dr. Bapiraju Surampudi, a principal engineer in SwRI’s Engine, Emissions and Vehicle Research Division and EssEs leader

Test data produced by the consortium will free up resources of original equipment manufacturers, allowing them to concentrate on product development rather than performing battery cell assessment, SwRI says.

With today’s rapidly advancing battery technology, the challenge for manufacturers is how to assess what is on the market and make an informed decision about the appropriate battery chemistry, power and life cycle for specific electric or hybrid vehicle applications.

—Karl Kreder, an engineer in SwRI’s Engine, Emissions and Vehicle Research Division

Membership fees will fund assessment testing of eight battery types for life and abuse testing and 16 cell types for characterization testing.

SwRI has a history of managing consortia, ranging from clean diesel and high-efficiency gasoline engines to solving engine pre-ignition problems.