Green Batteries Bring Power To the People

A new company has entered the rapidly growing rechargeable battery segment. Imara, a research, design and manufacturing company that has developed next-generation lithiumion battery technology, opened its doors earlier this week and plans to bring its proprietary technology to market by the end of the year. <P> The initial core technology, exclusively licensed from the Stanford Research Institute was developed and funded in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the Partnership for the Next Generation Vehicle (PNGV) initiative. Imara's technology has been demonstrated across multiple lithiumion chemistries. <P> "In the next five years, transportation and utility markets will see higher rates of growth for energy storage technologies like lithium-ion and other large-format batteries," said Ying Wu, senior analyst at Lux Research, in a statement. <P> The vendor is now developing nextgeneration batteries and packs for power tools. The company, which bears a name meaning "power" in Swahili, is banking its lithium-ion batteries will improve power tools' performance rankings while delivering lower lifetime battery costs for heavyduty applications such as cutting, grinding and sanding. <P> In related news, 14 U.S. companies with expertise in batteries and advanced materials have formed an alliance with the Argonne National Laboratory, located near Chicago, aiming to mass-produce a lithium battery for vehicles. The group includes 3M, ActaCell, All Cell Technologies, Altair Nanotechnologies, Eagle Picher Industries, EnerSys, Envia Systems, FMC, Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions, MicroSun Technologies, Mobius Power, SiLyte, Superior Graphite and Townsend Advanced Energy. The alliance is patterned after Sematech, an association formed in the 1980s to help U.S. companies compete successfully in the semiconductor market.

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