Capps Announces $1.6 million grant to UCSB’s Institute for Energy Efficiency to Develop New Hybrid Battery

Dec 3, 2012 Issues: Economy and Jobs, Energy & Environment

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lois Capps (CA-23) announced that the University of California Santa Barbara’s Institute for Energy Efficiency has been awarded a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) program to develop a new energy storage device for hybrid electric vehicles. The new storage device could charge within minutes, extend driving range, and have a longer life expectancy compared to today’s electric vehicle batteries. The ARPA-E program provides funding to breakthrough technologies that have the potential to develop into new industries and have a commercial impact.

UCSB’s Institute for Energy Efficiency is truly at the forefront at some of the most promising and exciting developments in energy in the United States. Solving our energy problems requires a multi-faceted approach, and we must do more to develop renewable, sustainable energy sources that use energy more efficiently,” said Congresswoman Lois Capps. “That is why this grant is such an important milestone. The Institute for Energy Efficiency is working everyday to ensure that we can all do more with less.”

With ARPA-E and all of the Department of Energy’s research and development efforts, we are determined to attract the best and brightest minds at our country’s top universities, labs and businesses to help solve the energy challenges of this generation,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu.  “The 66 projects selected today represent the true mission of ARPA-E: swinging for the fences and trying to hit home runs to support development of the most innovative technologies and change what’s possible for America’s energy future.”

This ARPA-E award will fund research to develop a new electro-chemical energy storage device that combines the best features of batteries and capacitors and thereby can have a transformative impact on hybrid electric vehicles,” said Gail Gallessich, Office of Public Affairs, UCSB. “It will have higher power capacity, faster charging times, and longer lifetime than lithium ion batteries.  The project is a three-way collaboration with UCSB (lead), Oregon State University and the University of Oregon.”

 

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