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Charged with Responsibility

Charged with Responsibility

Johnson Controls leads lithium-ion development

In recent years, the global warming phenomenon, as well as escalating energy prices and security concerns have made governments, companies and consumers alike take a long, hard look at their environmental responsibilities. And a whole new consciousness about the environment has emerged.
As a result, automakers have renewed their focus on hybrid electric vehicles. Johnson Controls, a global leader in developing energy-efficient and sustainable solutions, is working at the forefront, developing batteries that will power current—and future generation high efficiency, lower carbon footprint vehicles. In fact, the company’s joint venture, called Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions (JCS), is working to develop the lithium-ion batteries for future hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs).

Beyond the Concept

And JCS isn’t just looking to develop batteries for concept cars. It was recently awarded an advanced battery development contract by General Motors to design and test lithium-ion batteries for use in the Saturn Vue Green Line plug-in hybrid SUV. The company also recently showcased a, lithium-ion battery system integrated into a prototype hybrid-electric SUV at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
According to MaryAnn Wright, vice president and general manager of Johnson Controls’ hybrid battery business, lithium-ion battery technology will prevail over nickel-metal-hydride batteries, since it excels in packaging, energy storage and power-delivery performance.
“HEVs and PHEVs that leverage the benefits of lithium-ion battery technology represent the next step forward in developing sustainable transportation solutions for the global economy,” she says. “We are thrilled to be a key player in enabling tomorrow’s ‘green’ technologies.”

High Profile

In addition to its work developing the lithium-ion battery for the Saturn Vue Green Line plug-in hybrid SUV, JCS is also working on a number of other high-profile projects.
For example, the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) has awarded a contract to JCS to continue developmental efforts regarding lithium-ion technology for automotive applications. The funding, provided by the U.S. Department of Energy through the USABC as part of the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership project, enables JCS to continue in-depth research on cell performance and systems development, while continuously improving the value proposition to its OEM customers for lithium-ion technology. The USABC is a consortium of the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR), an organization comprised of DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation.