High Voltage Electrolyte for Lithium-Ion Cells

For Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) to become commercially viable, the energy content of their batteries must be increased, and the cost of the batteries must be decreased. This project will develop an electrolyte that will allow Lithium-ion cells for PHEV batteries, as well as batteries for Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV), to operate at higher voltage. The higher voltage would enable the batteries to deliver higher power and energy. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: Improved lithium-ion batteries have the potential to extend the range of PHEVs while also reducing battery mass and size in both PHEVs and HEVs. These features would increase both the environmental benefits and the consumer appeal of PHEVs and HEVs.