Electrathon Racing Team Final Race Results

Test Equipment Connection Co. would like to congratulate the ‘Silver Bullet Racing Team’ on their outstanding performance in the final race of 2011-2012 Season.

Jim Robinson Sr. and Ralph Foss (subbing in for team regular Jim Robinson Jr.) competed this past weekend at the annual ‘Run for the Peaches‘ in Quitman, Georgia.  The Race was “Tight” according to team captain Robins Sr. “a tooth and nail battle”.  “The real competition is between the ‘Standard’ class (24 volt) cars” said Robinson, speaking of the classification to which both the Test Equipment Connection cars belong. As Electrathon races are calculated by distance (the distance each car can go in one hour on a full battery), the charge capacity and efficiency of each vehicle’s battery is vitally important.  After the results of the two races were calculated, the ‘Silver Bullet’ team claimed both 2^nd (Foss) and 3^rd (Robinson Sr.) place, marking a great end to a great season.

When they aren’t on the Race track, the Robinson team also runs the Robinson & Son Garage where they build custom cars for other clients. “Our next race is scheduled for mid-September”, said Robinson Sr., “If anyone would like to join us on the track, now is a good time to order a car!” In addition to building cars for other racers, Robinson & Son’s also plans to finish construction on their prototype “steamliner” model they hope to debut next season.

For more on Electrathon racing, check out the official ‘Electrathon America’ site here: http://www.electrathonamerica.org/Welcome_to_Electrathon_America.html

And while you at it, don’t forget to pick up a Battery Tester for your new Electrathon. Test Equipment Connection offers a wide variety of battery testers for most any application: http://www.testequipmentconnection.com/categories/Testers/Battery

Announcing Sponsorship of Electrathon Racing Team

Test Equipment Connection Co. is proud to announce our Sponsorship of the ‘Silver Bullet Racing’ Electrathon Racing Team!

What is Electrathon Racing?

An Electrathon is a light weight 3-4 wheeled battery powered vehicle, not unlike a hybrid between a box-car racer and a go-cart. Throughout the three decades since its invention, Electrathon racing has spread throughout the western world, gaining popularity with high-school and post-secondary youth due to its low entry cost, and the practical application of moderate-advanced engineering concepts. Electrathon Teams participate in races that are not measured by time, but distance; traditionally the distance that can be covered in one hour. Thus each Electrathon Vehicle is built for efficiency, stressing balancing aerodynamics and effective use of battery power over top-speed.  The pursuit of this intriguing mechanical problem is the perfect platform for Test Equipment to promote given the complex engineering challenges at play. We’d like to wish Jim Robinson and the rest of the Silver Bullet Racing team the best of luck as they compete in the Tampa Bay Electrathon Racing League!

And don’t forget if you need battery testers whether for your Electrathon or for other purposes, Test Equipment Connection offers a wide variety of battery testers for most any application: http://www.testequipmentconnection.com/categories/Testers/Battery

For more on the Tampa Bay Electrathon Racing League, such as when you can see Silver Bullet Racing compete, or how you can get involved, follow the link here: http://electrathonoftampabay.org/www/

Also be sure to check out the ‘Electrathon America’ site for more information on the sport:

http://www.electrathonamerica.org/Welcome_to_Electrathon_America.html

Hybrid Energy Storage Device is as Small as it can Possibly Get

The world at large runs on lithium ion batteries. New research at Rice University shows that tiny worlds may soon do the same.

The Rice lab of Professor Pulickel Ajayan has packed an entire lithium ion energy storage device into a single nanowire, as reported this month in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters. The researchers believe their creation is as small as such devices can possibly get, and could be valuable as a rechargeable power source for new generations of nanoelectronics.

In their paper, researchers described testing two versions of their battery supercapacitor hybrid. The first is a sandwich with nickel/tin anode, polyethylene oxide (PEO) electrolyte and polyaniline cathode layers; it was built as proof that lithium ions would move efficiently through the anode to the electrolyte and then to the supercapacitor-like cathode, which stores the ions in bulk and gives the device the ability to charge and discharge quickly. The second packs the same capabilities into a single nanowire. The researchers built centimeter-scale arrays containing thousands of nanowire devices, each about 150 nanometers wide. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, thousands of times smaller than a human hair.

Ajayan’s team has been inching toward single-nanowire devices for years. The researchers first reported the creation of three-dimensional nanobatteries last December. In that project, they encased vertical arrays of nickel-tin nanowires in PMMA, a widely used polymer best known as Plexiglas, which served as an electrolyte and insulator. They grew the nanowires via electrodeposition in an anodized alumina template atop a copper substrate. They widened the template’s pores with a simple chemical etching technique that created a gap between the wires and the alumina, and then drop-coated PMMA to encase the wires in a smooth, consistent sheath. A chemical wash removed the template and left a forest of electrolyte-encased nanowires. In that battery, the encased nickel-tin was the anode, but the cathode had to be attached on the outside.

The new process tucks the cathode inside the nanowires, said Ajayan, a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science. In this feat of nanoengineering, the researchers used PEO as the gel-like electrolyte that stores lithium ions and also serves as an electrical insulator between nanowires in an array.

After much trial and error, they settled on an easily synthesized polymer known as polyaniline (PANI) as their cathode. Drop-coating the widened alumina pores with PEO coats the insides, encases the anodes and leaves tubes at the top into which PANI cathodes could also be drop-coated. An aluminum current collector placed on top of the array completes the circuit.

“The idea here is to fabricate nanowire energy storage devices with ultrathin separation between the electrodes,” said Arava Leela Mohana Reddy, a research scientist at Rice and co-author of the paper. “This affects the electrochemical behavior of the device. Our devices could be a very useful tool to probe nanoscale phenomenon.”

The team’s experimental batteries are about 50 microns tall — about the diameter of a human hair and almost invisible when viewed edge-on, Reddy said. Theoretically, the nanowire energy storage devices can be as long and wide as the templates allow, which makes them scalable.

The nanowire devices show good capacity; the researchers are fine-tuning the materials to increase their ability to repeatedly charge and discharge, which now drops off after a about 20 cycles.

“There’s a lot to be done to optimize the devices in terms of performance,” said the paper’s lead author, Sanketh Gowda, a chemical engineering graduate student at Rice. “Optimization of the polymer separator and its thickness and an exploration of different electrode systems could lead to improvements.”

Rice graduate student Xiaobo Zhan is a co-author of the paper. The Hartley Family Foundation, Rice University, National Institutes of Health, Army Research Office and Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative supported the research. (source www.rice.edu) Read the abstract at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/nl2017042

USABC Awarded a $9.62 Million USD Battery Technology Development Contract to LG Chem Power Inc to develop a self-contained, thermally-managed, lithium-ion battery pack system for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) applications.

Southfield, Mich. – The United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC (USABC), an organization whose members are Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors, announced the award of a $9.62 million advanced battery technology development contract to LG Chem Power Inc. (LGCPI) in Troy, Mich. on July 25th 2011.

The competitively bid contract award is co-funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and includes a 50 percent cost share by LGCPI. USABC awarded the contract to develop a self-contained, thermally-managed, lithium-ion battery pack system for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) applications.

The 24-month LGCPI program will utilize cells that incorporate advanced cathode materials and a thermal management system that incorporates refrigerant-based cooling, integrated heating and high efficiency insulation. The program aims to make significant strides toward achieving the USABC goals for PHEV 40-mile battery pack system performance requirements while driving down the cost to automakers toward the USABC goal of $3,400.

USABC is a subsidiary of the United States Council for Automotive Research LLC (USCAR). Enabled by a cooperative agreement with the DOE, USABC’s mission is to develop electrochemical energy storage technologies that support commercialization of hybrid, electric and fuel cell vehicles. As such, USABC has developed mid- and long-term goals to guide its projects and measure its progress.

“We are pleased to announce the award of this contract to LG Chem Power, Inc. as part of USABC’s broad battery technology research and development programs,” said Steve Zimmer, executive director of USCAR. “These programs are essential to advancing both near- and long-term goals that will enable a broad spectrum of vehicle electrification and make electrified vehicles increasingly affordable.”

The new contract is LG Chem Power’s fourth with USABC, which previously awarded the company, under its former name, Compact Power Inc., three contracts – one in 2008 for plug-in hybrid electric battery technology development, one in 2006 and one in 2004 to develop lithium-ion battery technology for hybrid electric vehicle applications.

The U.S. DOE’s overarching mission is to advance the national, economic and energy security of the United States. DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Program works with industry, academia and national laboratories to develop advanced transportation technologies that reduce the nation’s use of imported oil and increase its energy security. Electrochemical energy storage has been identified as a critical enabling technology for advanced, fuel-efficient, light and heavy-duty vehicles.

Who is USCAR?

Founded in 1992, USCAR is the collaborative automotive technology company for Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors. The goal of USCAR is to further strengthen the technology base of the domestic auto industry through cooperative research and development. For more information, visit USCAR’s Web site at www.uscar.org

U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium’s Strategic Vision:

The USABC seeks to promote long-term R&D within the domestic electrochemical energy storage (EES) industry and to maintain a consortium that engages automobile manufacturers, EES manufacturers, the National Laboratories, universities, and other key stakeholders.

USABC Objectives:

For high-energy and high power energy storage technologies and models, the USABC shall continue its focus on understanding and addressing the following factors:

• Continue development of high-power battery technologies to reduce cost to $20/kW and extend life to 15 years.
• Develop battery technology to support electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles.
• Develop ultra-capacitor technology for hybrid electric vehicle applications.
• Conduct benchmarking activities for both high power and high energy batteries and ultra-capacitors to validate technologies.
• Publish technical goals and associated test procedures to guide the development of electrochemical energy storage systems. (source www.uscar.org)

USABC Awarded a $9.62 Million USD Battery Technology Development Contract to LG Chem Power Inc to develop a self-contained, thermally-managed, lithium-ion battery pack system for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) applications.

Southfield, Mich. – The United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC (USABC), an organization whose members are Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors, announced the award of a $9.62 million advanced battery technology development contract to LG Chem Power Inc. (LGCPI) in Troy, Mich. on July 25th 2011.

The competitively bid contract award is co-funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and includes a 50 percent cost share by LGCPI. USABC awarded the contract to develop a self-contained, thermally-managed, lithium-ion battery pack system for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) applications.

The 24-month LGCPI program will utilize cells that incorporate advanced cathode materials and a thermal management system that incorporates refrigerant-based cooling, integrated heating and high efficiency insulation. The program aims to make significant strides toward achieving the USABC goals for PHEV 40-mile battery pack system performance requirements while driving down the cost to automakers toward the USABC goal of $3,400.

USABC is a subsidiary of the United States Council for Automotive Research LLC (USCAR). Enabled by a cooperative agreement with the DOE, USABC’s mission is to develop electrochemical energy storage technologies that support commercialization of hybrid, electric and fuel cell vehicles. As such, USABC has developed mid- and long-term goals to guide its projects and measure its progress.

“We are pleased to announce the award of this contract to LG Chem Power, Inc. as part of USABC’s broad battery technology research and development programs,” said Steve Zimmer, executive director of USCAR. “These programs are essential to advancing both near- and long-term goals that will enable a broad spectrum of vehicle electrification and make electrified vehicles increasingly affordable.”

The new contract is LG Chem Power’s fourth with USABC, which previously awarded the company, under its former name, Compact Power Inc., three contracts – one in 2008 for plug-in hybrid electric battery technology development, one in 2006 and one in 2004 to develop lithium-ion battery technology for hybrid electric vehicle applications.

The U.S. DOE’s overarching mission is to advance the national, economic and energy security of the United States. DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Program works with industry, academia and national laboratories to develop advanced transportation technologies that reduce the nation’s use of imported oil and increase its energy security. Electrochemical energy storage has been identified as a critical enabling technology for advanced, fuel-efficient, light and heavy-duty vehicles.

Who is USCAR?

Founded in 1992, USCAR is the collaborative automotive technology company for Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors. The goal of USCAR is to further strengthen the technology base of the domestic auto industry through cooperative research and development. For more information, visit USCAR’s Web site at www.uscar.org

U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium’s Strategic Vision:

The USABC seeks to promote long-term R&D within the domestic electrochemical energy storage (EES) industry and to maintain a consortium that engages automobile manufacturers, EES manufacturers, the National Laboratories, universities, and other key stakeholders.

USABC Objectives:

For high-energy and high power energy storage technologies and models, the USABC shall continue its focus on understanding and addressing the following factors:

• Continue development of high-power battery technologies to reduce cost to $20/kW and extend life to 15 years.
• Develop battery technology to support electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles.
• Develop ultra-capacitor technology for hybrid electric vehicle applications.
• Conduct benchmarking activities for both high power and high energy batteries and ultra-capacitors to validate technologies.
• Publish technical goals and associated test procedures to guide the development of electrochemical energy storage systems. (source www.uscar.org)

Why are Backup Batteries Needed?

Batteries are used to ensure that critical electrical equipment is always on. There are so many places where batteries are used – it is nearly impossible to list them all.

Some of the applications for batteries include:

• Electric generating stations and substations for protection and control of switches and relays
• Telephone systems to support phone service, especially emergency services
• Industrial applications for protection and control
• Back up of computers, especially financial data and information
• “Less critical” business information systems

Without battery back-up hospitals would have to close their doors until power is restored. But even so, there are patients on life support systems that require absolute 100% electric power. For those patients, as it was once said, “failure is not an option.” Just look around to see how much electricity we use and then to see how important batteries have become in our everyday lives. The many blackouts of 2003 around the world show how critical electrical systems have become to sustain our basic needs. Batteries are used extensively and without them many of the services that we take for granted would fail and cause innumerable problems.

Why Test Battery Systems?

There are three main reasons to test battery systems:

• To insure the supported equipment is adequately backed-up
• To prevent unexpected failures by tracking the battery’s health
• To forewarn/predict death

And, there are three basic questions that battery users ask:

• What is the capacity and the condition of the battery now?
• When will it need to be replaced?
• What can be done to improve / not reduce its life?

Batteries are complex chemical mechanisms. They have numerous components from grids, active material, posts, jar and cover, etc. – any one of which can fail. As with all manufacturing processes, no matter how well they are made, there is still some amount of black art to batteries (and all chemical processes).

A battery is two dissimilar metallic materials in an electrolyte. In fact, you can put a penny and a nickel in half of a grapefruit and you now have a battery. Obviously, an industrial battery is more sophisticated than a grapefruit battery. Nonetheless, a battery, to work the way it is supposed to work must be maintained properly. A good battery maintenance program may prevent, or at least, reduce the costs and damage to critical equipment due to an AC mains outage.

Even thought there are many applications for batteries, standby batteries are installed for only two reasons:

• To protect and support critical equipment during an AC outage
• To protect revenue streams due to the loss of service

The following discussion about failure modes focuses on the mechanisms and types of failure and how it is possible to find weak cells. Below is a section containing a more detailed discussion about testing methods and their pros and cons.

Why do Batteries Fail?

In order for us to understand why batteries fail, unfortunately a little bit of chemistry is needed. There are two main battery chemistries used today – lead-acid and nickel-cadmium. Other chemistries are coming, like lithium, which is prevalent in portable battery systems, but not stationary, yet. Volta invented the primary (non-rechargeable) battery in 1800. Planté invented the lead-acid battery in 1859 and in 1881 Faure first pasted lead-acid plates. With refinements over the decades, it has become a critically important back-up power source. The refinements include improved alloys, grid designs, jar and cover materials and improved jar-to-cover and post seals. Arguably, the most revolutionary development was the valve-regulated development. Many similar improvements in nickel-cadmium chemistry have been developed over the years. (source Megger.com)

Megger Battery Impedance Test Equipment

Determines condition of lead-acid and NiCd cells up to 7000 Ah

On-board Pass/Warning/Fail indications

Robust, repeatable instruments

On-line testing

The BITE 2 and BITE 2P Battery Impedance Test Equipment determine the condition of lead-acid and nickel-cadmium cells up to 7000 Ah. An advanced feature set has been developed that includes Pass/Warning/Fail calculations based on a user-entered baseline value, advanced printing functions and more. The case of the BITE 2P consists of both the transmitter and a carrying case for all of the standard accessories and some of the optional accessories, in an all-in-one unit. The BITE 2 and its accessories fit into a sturdy canvas case with a shoulder strap.

The instruments work by applying a test current across the battery string while on-line, then measuring the total current (ac ripple + test current) and the voltage drop of each cell/jar. It then calculates the impedance. They also measure dc voltage and interconnection (strap) resistance to help determine the overall condition of the entire battery string’s electrical path from terminal plate to terminal plate.

The BITE 2 and BITE 2P receiver stores the readings in its internal memory. These measurements, along with other maintenance data such as ambient and pilot cell temperatures and ac ripple current, assist in determining the overall condition of battery systems. Megger recommends that impedance measurements with the BITE 2 or BITE 2P be made part of a battery maintenance program with readings taken and recorded semiannually for flooded batteries and quarterly for VRLA.

Unlike load cycle testing that involves substantial downtime and repeated discharges, using the instruments require no battery discharge, nor do they stress the battery in any way compared to other techniques. With a test time of less than 20 seconds for each cell and intercell connector, one person can easily, quickly, and precisely measure internal cell impedance, dc terminal voltage and intercell connection resistance without taking the battery system off line.

A National Program to Build the New, More Efficient Cars and Trucks of the Future

WASHINGTON, DC – President Obama traveled to Holland, Michigan to tour the Johnson Controls Inc. advanced battery facility. While at Johnson Controls Inc., the President highlighted the key role innovative technologies will play in helping automakers achieve the historic fuel economy standards, establishing U.S. leadership in advanced vehicle manufacturing, spurring economic growth, and creating high-quality domestic jobs in cutting edge industries across America. Johnson Controls Inc. is a prime example of the kind of facility that is helping America lead the way in a growing new industry that is creating jobs across the country.

The trip builds on the President’s recent announcement of historic fuel-efficiency standards for cars and light trucks which will bring fuel-efficiency to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 and which, combined with steps already taken by this administration, will save American families $1.7 trillion at the pump and reduce oil consumption by 12 billion barrels by 2025. It also builds on this week’s announcement of first of their kind fuel-efficiency standards for work trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles, which will save American businesses who operate and own these commercial vehicles approximately $50 billion in fuel costs over the life of the program.

Proposed MY 2017 – MY 2025 standard will provide certainty to investors in job-creating advanced vehicle technologies

Providing a single national cars program through 2025 provides the certainty required for companies to invest in new technologies in the U.S. that will make it possible to build more efficient cars and trucks. This, in turn, will stimulate the creation of good-paying jobs across the U.S to design and build advanced vehicles and all their component parts.

The auto industry employs 700,000 people in manufacturing vehicles and vehicle parts and many thousands more providing materials like steel, rubber, plastic, and aluminum that go into the vehicles we drive. This represents the single largest manufacturing industry in the United States. Since July of 2009, the automotive sector has added approximately 113,000 jobs, its strongest period of job growth since the late 1990s, much of this growth coming from manufacturers of vehicle parts.

Proposed MY 2017-2025 standards will include incentives for game-changing technologies

Achieving the aggressive fuel economy goals set through MY 2025 will encourage automakers’ use of advanced technologies. As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) develop the new standards, they are considering a number of specific incentive programs to encourage early adoption and introduction into the marketplace of advanced technologies that represent “game changing” performance improvements, helping to improve fuel economy through MY 2025 and beyond.

These incentives include:

• Incentives for electric drive vehicles: By providing incentives for electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, the new standards will build on the Administration’s efforts to foster innovation, bring down costs, expand the U.S. share of the advanced battery market, and put a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.
• Incentives for advanced technology packages for large pickups, such as hybridization and other performance-based strategies.
• Off-Cycle Innovative Technology Credits: These credits reward the use of innovative technologies that reduce vehicle carbon emissions and/or fuel consumption, but whose reduction benefits are not captured over the two-cycle test procedure used to determine compliance with the fleet average standards (i.e., “off-cycle”). EPA and DOT intend to expandand streamline the existing off-cycle credit provisions, which would benefit a variety of off-cycle innovations like “Start-Stop” technology, in which the engine shuts off as the driver stops in traffic or at a red light – rather than consuming fuel while idling. Start-stop systems rely on energy from the battery, not the engine, to provide electrical power to the car.

Manufacturing cutting edge batteries and creating jobs at Johnson Controls Inc.

In August 2009, President Obama announced $2.4 billion in Recovery Act grants for advanced vehicle battery technology. Johnson Controls Inc. was selected to receive $300 million to build domestic manufacturing capacity for advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles. So far, this investment has created or saved about 150 jobs. It is also leveraging additional investment, representing only about half of Johnson Controls Inc.’s total planned investment of $600 million in domestic advanced battery manufacturing capacity.

Today, this grant has enabled Johnson Controls Inc. to open its first domestic lithium-ion plant in Holland, Michigan. The company is also taking additional steps to develop and deploy advanced technology – including implementing a recently-announced plan to retrofit an existing battery plant outside of Toledo, Ohio to focus on manufacturing batteries used to support Start-Stop technology. The company estimates the conversion will create 50 jobs.

Investments in facilities like the Johnson Controls Inc. plant in Holland are already transforming the advanced vehicle batteries industry in the United States. In 2009, the U.S. had only two factories manufacturing advanced vehicle batteries and produced less than two percent of the world’s advanced batteries. But over the next few years, the United States will be able to produce enough batteries and components to support 1 million plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, thanks to strategic Recovery Act investments and the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing loan program. Building manufacturing capacity will reduce cost through economies of scale, and so will research and development. Federally-funded research and development has made tremendous progress already, reducing the cost of lithium-ion batteries from $1,300 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in 2007 to $650/kWh today, dramatically faster than expected only two years ago, and well on track to meet our goal of $300/kWh.

Helping Accelerate Advanced Vehicle Technologies

In conjunction with President Obama’s visit to Holland, Michigan, the Department of Energy yesterday announced support for 40 projects in 15 states totaling more than $175 million to quicken the development and deployment of innovative and advanced vehicle technologies, which will help create jobs and ensure that the U.S. stays competitive in the automotive industry for decades to come.

The selections focus on a variety of innovative approaches to improve advanced vehicle efficiency, including: advanced fuels and lubricants, light-weight materials, advanced cells and design technology for electric drive batteries, advanced motor technology, improved engine efficiency technology, fleet efficiency, and advanced testing and evaluation. (source www.whitehouse.gov)

President Barack Obama’s tour of the new Johnson-Controls Meadowbrook advanced battery center in Holland, Mich. on Aug. 11, 2011, led to praise for the facility and Johnson Controls’ leadership in the advanced battery industry.

“At a time when Americans are rightly focused on our economy, when Americans are asking about what’s our path forward, all of you here at Johnson Controls are providing a powerful answer,” President Obama said to the crowd of nearly 400 dignitaries and Johnson Controls employees.

“This is one of the most advanced factories in the world. You’re helping America lead in a growing new industry. You’re showing us how we can come back from the worst recession that we’ve had in generations and start making things here in America that are sold all around the world.”

The new Meadowbrook facility will be the first in the United States to produce complete lithium-ion battery cells and systems for hybrid and electric vehicles, producing battery systems for U.S. based automakers, such as Ford’s Transit Connect.

President Obama “Look at this factory. Look what’s happening in Holland, Michigan. Every day, hundreds of people are going to work on the technologies that are helping us to fight our way out of this recession. Every day, you’re building high-tech batteries so that we lead the world in manufacturing the best cars and the best trucks,” President Obama said.

Johnson Controls Chairman and CEO Steve Roell greeted President Obama upon his mid-afternoon arrival, as did Dennis Archer, Johnson Controls Board of Directors member and Chairman Emeritus, Dickinson Wright PLLC; Alex Molinaroli, president, Power Solutions; Jacqueline Strayer, vice president, Corporate Communications; and Mary Ann Wright, vice president, Global Technology and Innovation for Power Solutions. Elizabeth Rolinski, vice president, Operations, Advanced Battery, Johnson Controls Power Solutions, led President Obama on the tour of the facility.

In remarks made before the president spoke, Roell highlighted Johnson Controls’ commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency in each of the company’s businesses. He noted Building Efficiency has saved customers more than $19 billion in energy costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 16 million metric tons in office buildings, hospitals, schools, universities, and local, state and federal buildings. He also pointed to Automotive Experience’s work to reduce CO2 emissions through the lightweighting of interior components and a growing use of sustainable materials. Roell noted Power Solutions is at the forefront in providing fuel-efficient solutions for a full spectrum of vehicles from internal combustion engines to Start-Stop, hybrid and electric vehicles.

“Through innovation and investment in technology and people, Johnson Controls is a leader in the energy storage industry. We are investing more than $460 million in our advanced battery business for manufacturing and technical facilities here in Michigan and the U.S.,” Roell said.

The Meadowbrook facility, which was supported by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) matching grant and incentives from the state of Michigan, is a great example of a public-private partnership that uses innovation and technology to produce products that reduce fuel consumption and create jobs.

”We are grateful for the outstanding support we have received from the White House, the U.S. Department of Energy, the state of Michigan and the city of Holland for their vision in building an advanced battery industry for vehicles in the U.S. and for the financial incentives they have provided,” Roell said. Roell closed his remarks by thanking President Obama for his leadership on improving the energy efficiency of buildings and his support of the auto industry. (source www.johnsoncontrols.com)

President Obama at Johnson Control’s Battery Plant