Johnson Controls-Saft gets $8.2M for battery project

Milwaukee, Wis.-based Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) said today that its joint venture with Bagnolet, France's Saft received an $8.2 million contract for plug-in hybrid electric battery development.

The contract comes from the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium, with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Johnson Controls-Saft will focus on the development of lithium-ion battery systems for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles under the project, and over the course of two years will seek to validate the commercial feasibility of lithium-ion technology for mass market PHEVs (see Johnson Controls-Saft, Maxwell Tech collaborate on batteries).

"We are working on the development of the complete PHEV system, which includes high energy capacity cells, battery management electronics, control software and an efficient thermal management system, all optimally packaged for safety and efficient integration into the vehicle," said Mary Ann Wright, who leads the Johnson Controls-Saft joint venture and is VP and general manager for Johnson Controls' hybrid battery business.

"Specifically, key goals for this PHEV contract are to optimize cell and battery system design for 10-mile and 40-mile electric range vehicles."

The U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium awarded a similar contract to Johnson Controls-Saft in 2006 focused on lithium-ion battery systems for hybrid electric vehicles. The consortium's members are Chrysler, Ford Motor (NYSE: F) and General Motors (NYSE: GM).

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