June 02, 2011 
Symposium explores how to develop more affordable, reliable electric vehicle batteries
Researchers from companies and institutions around the world will converge on PNNL's campus next week to discuss the newest battery technology and breakthroughs that could make electric vehicles more affordable and reliable.
At the Fourth Symposium on Energy Storage: Beyond Lithium Ion, researchers will present their findings and discuss their importance to batteries of the future.
"Our goal as researchers is to develop batteries that use materials that are more common and affordable, for the next generation of vehicles," said Jason Zhang, PNNL scientist and conference co-chair. "Today's hybrid and plug-in vehicles use lithium ion batteries that perform well, but are still heavy and expensive," he said.
Zhang will present research on a new kind of battery technology, called lithium-air, which uses air as one of the electrodes. In another presentation, PNNL researcher Michael Kintner-Meyer will discuss what it means for utility companies when more electric vehicles hit the road.
This yearly symposium is sponsored by a collaboration of D.O.E. national labs and IBM.
Members of the media interested in attending can do so free of charge but must register in advance with Annie Haas on PNNL's News and Media Services team. In addition to talks listed on the agenda, in excess of 40 researchers will be presenting their work on posters the afternoon of Wednesday, June 8, in the lobby of the BSF/CSF buildings.
For more information or to view the conference agenda, visit http://beyondli-ioniv.labworks.org/.
What: fourth Symposium on Energy Storage: Beyond Lithium Ion
When: Tuesday, June seven - Thursday, June 9, 2011
Poster session: Wednesday, June 8, 3:20 p.m. - six p.m.
Agenda accessible at: http://beyondli-ioniv.labworks.org/agenda.stm
How: Journalists can attend by contacting Anne (Annie) Haas at 509-375-3732 or [email protected].
Where: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland
Journalists should project to 1st arrive at PNNL's Research Operations Building, or ROB, 908 Battelle Blvd., in Richland, to gain temporary badges.
For more information about PNNL's energy storage and battery research, visit PNNL's Energy Storage website or the Transformational Materials Science Initiative website.
Tags: Energy, Energy Efficiency, PHEVs, Batteries
Pacific Northwest National Lab is a D.O.E. Office of Science national Lab where interdisciplinary teams advance science and technology and deliver solutions to America's most intractable problems in energy, the environment and national security. PNNL employs 4,900 staff, has an yearly budget of nearly $1.1 billion, and has been managed by Ohio-based Battelle since the lab's inception in 1965. Follow PNNL on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
