The Batteries for Advanced Transportation Technologies (BATT) Program is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Vehicles Technologies (FCVT) to help develop high-performance rechargeable batteries for use in electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs). The work is carried out by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and several other organizations, and is organized into six separate research tasks.

Background and Program Focus

The BATT Program addresses the fundamental problems of chemical and mechanical instabilities that have impeded the development of EV, HEV, and FCEV batteries with acceptable costs, lifetimes, and safety. The aim is to identify and better understand cell performance and lifetime limitations before initiating battery scale-up and development activities. Emphasis is placed on the synthesis of components into battery cells with determination of failure modes, while maintaining strengths in materials synthesis and evaluation, advanced diagnostics, and improved electrochemical model development. The selected battery chemistries are monitored continuously with timely substitution of more-promising components or modifications thereof, as appropriate. This is done with advice from within the BATT Program and from outside experts, including consultation with automotive companies and DOE. Also factored into the BATT Program decision-making process is the continuous monitoring of world-wide battery R&D activities, including assessments carried out by others. This strategy constitutes a systematic screening of battery chemistries/designs that not only has a built-in methodology for reselection but also provides a clear focus for the development of new materials.