DARPA Awards $1.7 Million Contract to Maxwell Technologies for Development of Advanced Energy Storage Device

Maxwell will lead a team including the U.S. Navy and the University of Massachusetts that is tasked with developing an energy storage device combining an advanced capacitor module, an advanced battery pack and power management electronics. The goal of the program is to develop an enhanced energy source that will provide extended run time and longer operational life than existing batteries alone, thereby reducing the requirement to carry heavy, bulky, spare batteries. To ensure that field military personnel are energy self-sufficient during extended missions, they typically carry primary and spare batteries weighing more than 60 pounds (27kg) to power a growing assortment of portable electronic equipment. "This is an exciting opportunity to leverage Maxwell's energy storage technology expertise and development resources with external funding and other team members' resources and expertise to accelerate development of very promising next generation energy storage technology," said David Schramm, Maxwell's president and chief executive officer. "This program will further demonstrate the synergy between batteries and ultracapacitors, and, more importantly, lead to improved energy storage solutions to support the effectiveness and safety of our armed forces personnel." The award provides funding for an initial, one-year phase, with options for two additional phases which, when approved, would result in total funding of up to approximately $8million. www.maxwell.com