Battery powers ahead

Canberra Times
Friday 17/10/2008 Page: 21

A CSIRO-invented battery is doing its bit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by making hybrid electric vehicles more efficient and affordable. The UltraBattery has four times the life cycle of conventional energy storage systems, produces 50 per cent more power and is 70 per cent cheaper than the batteries now used in hybrid electric vehicles. The battery will now be distributed internationally under a deal with Japan's Furukawa Battery Company and US manufacturer East Penn. The Japanese company has already begun production of the technologically advanced battery.

The UltraBattery combines an enhanced-power negative electrode and a lead acid battery in a single unit and has applications for lowemissions transport and renewable energy storage. The exclusive sub-licence agreement will see the UltraBattery distributed by East Penn throughout North America while Furukawa will release the technology in Japan and Thailand. CSIRO director Dr John Wright says he is delighted to see an Australian-developed technology gain attention on a world stage.

"This technology could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector by lowering the cost of hybrid electric vehicles and increasing their uptake, meaning that we could be looking at success on both commercial and environmental fronts," Wright says. The UltraBattery was not yet licensed in Australia for automotive applications. CSIRO was accepting expressions of interest for manufacture and distribution of the technology in this region. The UltraBattery technology also had applications for renewable energy storage from wind and solar.