Wednesday, President Barack Obama outlined a plan for the United States government to fund 48 different battery related projects. The government is mostly looking for more energy efficient batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles. The total project includes an estimated $2.4 billion dollars in allocated stimulus grants to help create business and jobs in the midwest.
President Obama exclaimed that he wanted "the cars of the future and the technology to power them" built in the United States. Plus, businesses need to invest a dollar for almost every dollar received in grants, equaling out to a little under 5 billion dollars in total battery tech investments.
While the grants deal mostly with the batteries and electric-drive systems in hybrid and electric cars, battery technology in consumer devices is sure to follow. All consumer electronic devices, smart phones especially, are in desperate need of superior batteries that can last several days, instead of just hours. Buyers can expect that any important forward progress in vehicular batteries will trickle down into the devices we use every day. A significant upgrade to battery technology is just what most consumers want.
To see the exact stimulus battery grants and how they break down individually, check out this PDF at EENews.net which gives specifics on which companies are receiving funds and what they will be developing. Most consumer devices use Lithium-Ion or Lithium-Polymer though a fair amount of research is being spent on Nickel-Cobalt as well.
For more information on the entire program check out The Washington Post or the United States Economic Stimulus page online.
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