Nanosys, an advanced material architect, has declared that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has provided a grant to improve and address its SiNANOde materials for application in the automotive industry. These refinements will allow traveling of electric vehicles (EVs) at speeds of about 300 Mi / single charge.
Apart from the main DOE award amounting US $4.8 million, nearly US $6 million will be invested, obtained through matches and sub-awards from Nanosys and the DOE, for commercialization and development of enhanced material technologies as well as production in the US. The award is a section of DOE’s wider objective to enhance the establishment and development of improved vehicle technologies by means of specified programs desired to improve vehicle efficiency.
The aim of DOE’s comprehensive approach is to promote novel innovations in the overall system that includes high-capacity components and batteries of electric vehicle exceeding the present advanced technologies in cost and/or performance. The DOE’s agency has fixed a target to increase the capacity of EVs to 300 Mi in a single charge and to reduce the rate of lithium-ion batteries to US $ 250/kWh for advancement of EVs.
In the latest evaluation, Nanosys’ SiNANOde anode material has been found to have twice its original capacity while offering significant improvements in discharge/charge cycle lifespan. Nanosys will utilize the funds offered by DOE to increase the speed of development by purchasing extra devices and hiring more staff. Besides EVs, the company is collaborating with both international and domestic battery producers to improve the capacity of lithium-ion battery by the application of SiNANOde in batteries used in smart phones, tablets, laptops and several other electronic devices.
Source: http://www.nanosysinc.com/