The Big 3 Decide to start researching batteries :)

http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/jun04/234433.asp

(Actually, if you read closely, it looks like the big three somehow managed to get the government to pay for it, again! )

Johnson Controls wins hybrid-car contract
By THOMAS CONTENT
[email protected]
Posted: June 4, 2004

Johnson Controls engineers will try to figure out how to make electric hybrid cars run better under an auto industry contract announced Friday.

Current versions of hybrid vehicles are powered by a combination of gas and nickel-metal hydride batteries, the same type of batteries used in cellular telephones and laptop computers.

Johnson Controls hopes lithium-ion batteries, which also are used in portable electronics, will last longer and have improved performance over the batteries in use in hybrid vehicles, including new versions of Toyota Prius, Honda Accord and the Ford Escape sport utility vehicle due out in summer.

The contract was awarded to Johnson by the United States Advanced Battery Consortium, an industry group formed by Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and DaimlerChrysler.

Johnson Controls and the U.S. Department of Energy are funding the 18-month project, with the consortium providing support. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

The work will be led by the Glendale-based battery division's advanced battery hybrid systems team but will also include engineers at Johnson Controls offices in Germany and France.

"This is another example of Johnson Controls' strong commitment to developing advanced-chemistry battery systems in support of future, hybrid-electric vehicles," Gregg Sherrill, group vice president and general manager of the Johnson Controls battery business, said in a statement.

Johnson Controls also has a battery-management system called Powerwatch that monitors and manages a vehicle's energy production and battery condition, providing information to onboard control systems. That technology is not in production yet but is being shown to several automakers, company spokeswoman Debra Lacey said.

The company is the leading manufacturer of car batteries sold in stores such as Sears, Autozone and Advanced Auto Parts. The company's battery business posted $2 billion in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 and has 46% of the North American market and 24% of the global market.

From the June 5, 2004, editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel