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Johnson Controls jumping further into hybrid-vehicle battery world

Glendale, Wis. -- Johnson Controls Inc. has created an advanced lithium-ion battery development laboratory at its global headquarters here to create advanced power-storage solutions for near-future, hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs), the company announced Wednesday.

The new lab comes amid the rising interest in hybrid vehicles that are powered by batteries and gasoline. With Japanese automakers in the lead in hybrid vehicle development, Japanese electronics companies Panasonic EV Energy and Sanyo Electric Co. have been the main battery providers for such cars. The Panasonic company is a joint venture of Toyota and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.

Johnson Controls has been laying the groundwork to capture a share of the market, which is expected to expand dramatically over the next several years. Johnson Controls is the world's largest manufacturer of automotive original equipment and aftermarket batteries. It operates battery technology centers in the United States and Europe.

The new laboratory facility and development equipment were installed at a cost of approximately $4 million, the company reported.

The facility -- located at the company's Battery Technology Center adjacent to its corporate headquarters in this Milwaukee suburb -- features a "dry room" and an array of highly specialized tools and equipment for designing, developing and testing power-storage and power-management concepts based on lithium-ion technology.

Focus is on lithium ion


Johnson Controls supplies nickel-metal-hydride batteries for hybrid-powered buses in Europe through technology developed by a German company it acquired several years ago. The company believes lithium ion technology is likely to replace nickel-metal-hydride as the battery technology of choice in hybrid-electric and electric vehicles in the future.
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"We continue to develop our technological capabilities for creating the power-storage solutions of tomorrow, approaches that will be innovative, cost-efficient and environmentally friendly," said Gregg Sherrill, group vice president and battery general for the Automotive Group of Johnson Controls.

The global market for HEVs has increased steadily during the past year, fueling demand for enhanced power-storage and power-management technologies for such cars and trucks, the company noted.

According to industry projections, sales of HEVs in the U.S. and European automotive markets could reach 6 million units within a decade. HEV sales currently account for about 0.5 percent of total world vehicle production. A report earlier this year by J.D. Power & Associates predicted that the number of hybrid-powered vehicles in the U.S. would increase significantly in the coming years, and that the number of powered-powered vehicle models would rise from the current 10 to 44. Seventeen models are expected to be available next year.

Nearly 88,0000 hybrid-powered vehicles were sold in the U.S. in 2004, accounting for 0.52 percent of the market. More than 200,000 are expected to be sold this year. J.D. Power & Associates sees the market penetration rising to 3.5 percent by 2012.

Rising gas pricing fueling change


"Higher gas prices are acting as a catalyst for automakers and consumers to find alternatives to the traditional gasoline internal combustion engine," said Anthony Pratt of J.D. Power & Associates. He also noted that while hybrid-powered vehicles are rising in popularity, so, too, are diesel-powered vehicles.

Most hybrid vehicles currently rely on nickel-metal-hydride batteries. Lithium-ion batteries have significant potential for near-future HEV applications, because they have the capability of offering major advantages in power- generation, size, weight, cycle life and cost.

The new laboratory in Glendale supports Johnson Controls' plan to create and sustain a global "center of excellence" for lithium-ion battery development, the company said. Current company research and development efforts on lithium-ion technology focus on cathode materials, new cell designs for better thermal management, modular designs that enable the integration of safety technologies, and cell balancing to ensure safe operation as well as extended performance and cycling.

"We believe that lithium-ion batteries will be the wave of the future, and we're excited to be a leading organization in helping to drive this battery technology forward," said Sherrill.

In 2004, the company was granted a contract for lithium-ion battery development by the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC). In that program, Johnson Controls has been tapped to develop an abuse-tolerant, lithium-ion battery offering extended life and significantly improved power- to-weight performance vs. current hybrid-battery technology. The USABC, which includes the U.S. Department of Energy, DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors as members, supports research and development for advanced energy systems to power future HEVs.

Johnson Controls has 118,000 employees worldwide, including about 2,500 in the Milwaukee area. It had 2004 annual revenue of more than $25 billion.


David Niles is senior contributing editor for WTN. He can be reached at dniles@wistechnology.com.

Comments

Jay Draiman responded 3 years ago: #1

Mandatory Renewable Energy – The Energy Evolution

Our country, the United States, in order to insure our energy and economic independence, without being blackmailed by foreign countries and better economic growth. Our dependence on fossil fuels could lead to catastrophic consequences.

The federal, state, and local government should implement a mandatory Renewable Energy installation for residential and commercial property on new construction and remodeling, with the use of Energy Efficient material, mechanical systems, appliances, lighting etc. The Source of Energy must be Renewable Energy, such as Solar-Photovoltaic, Geothermal, Wind, Biofuels etc.

The implementation could be done on a gradual scale over the next 10 years. At the end of the 10 year period, all construction and energy use in the structures throughout the United States must be 100% powered by renewable energy.

In addition the governments must impose laws, rules and regulations, whereby the utility companies must comply with a fair “NET METERING” (the buying of excess generation from the consumer).

Promote the research and production of Renewable Energy Technology with various long-term incentives and grants. Utilize various foundations to contribute to this cause.

Utilize water from lakes, rivers, and oceans to circulate in cooling towers to produce air conditioning. Utilize proper landscaping to reduce energy consumption.

We should also include a mandatory time table for the automobile industry to gradually produce an automobile powered by renewable energy. The American automobile industry is surely capable of accomplishing this task.

This is a way to expedite our energy independence and economic growth.

It will take a maximum effort of the private, commercial, industrial and government sectors commitments to renewal energy, in order to achieve our energy independence.

Jay Draiman
Northridge, CA. 91325
12-24-2006

Ankit Duggal responded 3 years ago: #2

Hi:

I had searched a lot but can you help me to get an answer about which battery technology will be suitable for middle car and why?
I will be very thankfull to you.

Waiting for your reply

Jay Draiman, Energy Consultant responded 2 years ago: #3

Energy Independence begins with Energy efficiency

Updated
MANDATORY RENEWABLE ENERGY – THE ENERGY EVOLUTION –R15
By Jay Draiman, Energy Consultant
In order to insure energy and economic independence as well as better economic growth without being blackmailed by foreign countries, our country, the United States of America’s Utilization of Energy Sources must change.

"Energy drives our entire economy.” We must protect it. "Let's face it, without energy the whole economy and economic society we have set up would come to a halt. So you want to have control over such an important resource that you need for your society and your economy." The American way of life is not negotiable.
Our continued dependence on fossil fuels could and will lead to catastrophic consequences.

The federal, state and local government should implement a mandatory renewable energy installation program for residential and commercial property on new construction and remodeling projects, replacement of appliances, motors, HVAC with the use of energy efficient materials-products, mechanical systems, appliances, lighting, insulation, retrofits etc. The source of energy must be by renewable energy such as Solar-Photovoltaic, Geothermal, Wind, Biofuels, Ocean-Tidal, Hydrogen-Fuel Cell etc. This includes the utilizing of water from lakes, rivers and oceans to circulate in cooling towers to produce air conditioning and the utilization of proper landscaping to reduce energy consumption. (Sales tax on renewable energy products and energy efficiency should be reduced or eliminated)

The implementation of mandatory renewable energy could be done on a gradual scale over the next 10 years. At the end of the 10 year period all construction and energy use in the structures throughout the United States must be 100 pervent powered by renewable energy. (This can be done by amending building code)

In addition, the governments must impose laws, rules and regulations whereby the utility companies must comply with a fair “NET METERING” (the buying of excess generation from the consumer at market price), including the promotion of research and production of “renewable energy technology” with various long term incentives and grants. The various foundations in existence should be used to contribute to this cause.

A mandatory timetable should also be established for the automobile industry to gradually produce an automobile powered by renewable energy. The American automobile industry is surely capable of accomplishing this task. As an inducement to buy hybrid automobiles (sales tax should be reduced or eliminated on American manufactured automobiles).

This is a way to expedite our energy independence and economic growth. (This will also create a substantial amount of new jobs). It will take maximum effort and a relentless pursuit of the private, commercial and industrial government sectors’ commitment to renewable energy – energy generation (wind, solar, hydro, biofuels, geothermal, energy storage (fuel cells, advance batteries), energy infrastructure (management, transmission) and energy efficiency (lighting, sensors, automation, conservation) (rainwater harvesting, water conservation) (energy and natural resources conservation) in order to achieve our energy independence.

"To succeed, you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality."

Jay Draiman, Energy Consultant
Northridge, CA. 91325
May 31, 2007

P.S. I have a very deep belief in America's capabilities. Within the next 10 years we can accomplish our energy independence, if we as a nation truly set our goals to accomplish this.

I happen to believe that we can do it. In another crisis--the one in 1942--President Franklin D. Roosevelt said this country would build 60,000 [50,000] military aircraft. By 1943, production in that program had reached 125,000 aircraft annually. They did it then. We can do it now.

"The way we produce and use energy must fundamentally change."

The American people resilience and determination to retain the way of life is unconquerable and we as a nation will succeed in this endeavor of Energy Independence.

The Oil Companies should be required to invest a substantial percentage of their profit in renewable energy R&D and implementation. Those who do not will be panelized by the public at large by boy cutting their products.

Solar energy is the source of all energy on the earth (excepting volcanic geothermal). Wind, wave and fossil fuels all get their energy from the sun. Fossil fuels are only a battery which will eventually run out. The sooner we can exploit all forms of Solar energy (cost effectively or not against dubiously cheap FFs) the better off we will all be. If the battery runs out first, the survivors will all be living like in the 18th century again.

Every new home built should come with a solar package. A 1.5 kW per bedroom is a good rule of thumb. The formula 1.5 X's 5 hrs per day X's 30 days will produce about 225 kWh per bedroom monthly. This peak production period will offset 17 to 2

4 cents per kWh with a potential of $160 per month or about $60,000 over the 30-year mortgage period for a three-bedroom home. It is economically feasible at the current energy price and the interest portion of the loan is deductible. Why not?

Title 24 has been mandated forcing developers to build energy efficient homes. Their bull-headedness put them in that position and now they see that Title 24 works with little added cost. Solar should also be mandated and if the developer designs a home that solar is impossible to do then they should pay an equivalent mitigation fee allowing others to put solar on in place of their negligence. (Installation should be paid “performance based”).

Installation of renewable energy and its performance should be paid to the installer and manufacturer based on "performance based" (that means they are held accountable for the performance of the product - that includes the automobile industry). This will gain the trust and confidence of the end-user to proceed with such a project; it will also prove to the public that it is a viable avenue of energy conservation.

Installing a renewable energy system on your home or business increases the value of the property and provides a marketing advantage. It also decreases our trade deficit.

Nations of the world should unite and join together in a cohesive effort to develop and implement MANDATORY RENEWABLE ENERGY for the sake of humankind and future generations.

The head of the U.S. government's renewable energy lab said Monday (Feb. 5) that the federal government is doing "embarrassingly few things" to foster renewable energy, leaving leadership to the states at a time of opportunity to change the nation's energy future. "I see little happening at the federal level. Much more needs to happen." What's needed, he said, is a change of our national mind set. Instead of viewing the hurdles that still face renewable sources and setting national energy goals with those hurdles in mind, we should set ambitious national renewable energy goals and set about overcoming the hurdles to meet them. We have an opportunity, an opportunity we can take advantage of or an opportunity we can squander and let go,"

Solar energy - the direct conversion of sunlight with solar cells, either into electricity or hydrogen, faces cost hurdles independent of their intrinsic efficiency. Ways must be found to lower production costs and design better conversion and storage systems.

Disenco Energy of the UK has announced it has reached important milestones leading to full commercialization, such as the completion of field trials for its home, micro combined heat and power plant (m-CHP). The company expects to begin a product roll out in the second quarter of 2008.

Operating at over 90 percent efficiency, the m-CHP will be able to provide 15 kilowatts of thermal energy (about 50,000 Btu’s) for heat and
hot water and generate 3 kilowatts of electricity. The m-CHP uses a Stirling engine generator and would be a direct replacement for a home’s
boiler.

Running on piped-in natural gas the unit would create some independence from the power grid, but still remain connected to the gas supply network. Whereas heat is supplied only when the generator is running (or conversely electricity is generated only when heat is needed) a back-up battery system and heavily insulated hot water storage tank seem eventual options for more complete energy independence.

FEDERAL BUILDINGS WITH SOLAR ENERGY – Renewable Energy

All government buildings, federal, state, county, city etc. should be mandated to be energy efficient and must use renewable energy on all new structures and structures that are been remodeled/upgraded.

"The government should serve as an example to its citizens."

Jay Draiman, Energy Consultant
Northridge, CA 91325
Email: renewableenergy2@msn.com.

Jay Draiman responded 2 years ago: #4

Selling Renewable Energy (Solar Etc.) Without Incentives
In short, we need to market solar as an investment that will save money while you own it and return most or all of your investment when you sell the building it's sitting on.

Chances are, as natural gas and oil prices go up, there will be a corresponding jump in your monthly electricity bill. So, instead of promoting a solar power system based on today's savings in electricity, we need to have easily understandable projections on what the savings will be over the life of a system. These numbers need to reflect what's really happening to the cost of energy!
Here are some ideas I'd like to share. First, we need to find a way to make renewable energy economically competitive without the tax incentives. We do this by answering the question: "What is the opportunity cost of not using solar to decrease your energy bill?"

There's something interesting I've found. There's a direct correlation among electrical rates, the cost of air conditioning a building, the heat index and the amount of sunshine on any given day. In other words, on the hottest, sunniest days, we use more electricity that costs more per kilowatt. So, why do we continue to promote average hours of solar production, when in fact (at least down here in California), we produce far more solar power per day during the heat of the summer when energy costs are highest, than we do in our temperate winter months when energy costs are lowest. A sound marketing approach would be to evaluate solar energy in "dollars" of production per year instead of in kilowatts. I'm sure there are some smart people out there who can match kilowatts of solar production on any given day of the year to what the rates will be (based on the projected costs of electricity).
Secondly, we should stop trying to sell a solar package as a "cost." In real estate, there is a principle that says anything affixed to real estate becomes an integral part of the real estate. Once a solar package is installed, it immediately increases the value of a property. So how can you predict how much more a building will be worth in 5-10 years with a package as opposed to without one? In the real estate appraisal business, there are three approaches to appraising a property. The market approach (what are comparable properties selling for), the reproduction cost (the cost of creating an identical building at current construction and material prices) and the actual original cost adjusted for inflation. In all three methods, there's a strong case that a system installed today will make the building worth more today and in future years.
We need some realistic numbers to predict how much more a property will be worth in the years following installation. I believe that if you sell a building 5-10 years after installing solar, you should recoup all of your investment in the system plus an added bonus. If the rumors are true, a residential system (using the market approach) adds $20 of value to a home for every $1 it saves on the electric bill.
For commercial appraisals, you would divide the income (savings) by a cap rate (which was about 9% at last report). A system that saves $2000 a year then would be worth $40,000 on a home or $25,000 on a business. But if the cost of electricity goes up (if that is remotely possible), then wouldn't the value of the solar power system increase as well? In reality, we are not selling something that costs — we are actually offering a financial investment that grows comparably with other forms of energy.
In short, we need to market solar as an investment that will save money while you own it and return most or all of your investment when you sell the building it's sitting on. In commercial real estate, they use a "Cash Flow Analysis" form as the tool to evaluate a building's value using the income approach. We need a similar tool for putting a value on solar. If solar makes sense with this approach, then just think of how much better the systems look when you add the tax advantages!
This approach also applies to the cost of Energy efficiency implementation.
Reducing operational costs increases the value of the business and or property.
Compiled by Jay Draiman, Energy analyst
12/1/2007

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