Program:
BEEST
Award:
$1,146,472
Location:
Rolla, Missouri
Status:
CANCELLED
Project Term:
08/01/2010 - 01/16/2013

Technology Description:

Researchers at Missouri University of Science & Technology (Missouri S&T) are developing an affordable lithium-air (Li-Air) battery that could enable an EV to travel up to 350 miles on a single charge. Today’s EVs run on Li-Ion batteries, which are expensive and suffer from low energy density compared with gasoline. This new Li-Air battery could perform as well as gasoline and store 3 times more energy than current Li-Ion batteries. A Li-Air battery uses an air cathode to breathe oxygen into the battery from the surrounding air, like a human lung. The oxygen and lithium react in the battery to produce electricity. Current Li-Air batteries are limited by the rate at which they can draw oxygen from the air. The team is designing a battery using hierarchical electrode structures to enhance air breathing and effective catalysts to accelerate electricity production.

Potential Impact:

If successful, Missouri S&T’s new Li-Air battery design would make EVs a cost-competitive and high-performance alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles.

Security:

Increased use of EVs would decrease U.S. dependence on foreign oil—the transportation sector is the dominant source of this dependence.

Environment:

Greater use of EVs would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, 28% of which come from the transportation sector.

Economy:

This battery would enable an EV to travel from New York City to Richmond, VA (335 miles) on a single charge, for less than $10 on average.

Contact

ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Dane Boysen
Project Contact:
Dr. Yangchuan (Chad) Xing
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
xingy@mst.edu

Partners

MaxPower, Inc.
NanoLab, Inc.
Brookhaven National Laboratory

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Release Date:
02/07/2009