The CSIRO-invented UltraBattery is set to have a global impact on greenhouse gas emissions after Japan’s Furukawa Battery Company, which has already begun production of the UltraBattery, and US manufacturer, East Penn, today signed an international commercialisation and distribution agreement for the technology.
CSIRO’s UltraBattery combines an enhanced-power negative electrode and a lead acid battery in a single unit and has applications for low emissions transport and renewable energy storage.
The exclusive sub-license agreement will see the UltraBattery distributed by East Penn to the automotive and motive power sector throughout North America, Mexico and Canada while Furukawa Battery Company will release the technology in Japan and Thailand.
Previous tests show the UltraBattery has a life cycle that is at least four times longer and produces 50 per cent more power than conventional energy storage systems.
The technology is approximately 70 per cent cheaper than the batteries currently used in hybrid electric vehicles. It is scheduled to be commercially available in the automotive market and for motive power applications throughout Japan, Thailand, North America, Mexico and Canada within two years.
UltraBattery technology also has applications for renewable energy storage from wind and solar however it is not yet licensed in Australia for automotive applications.
CSIRO is accepting expressions of interest for manufacture and distribution of the technology in this region.
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