www.anl.

gov
www.aps.anl.gov

ARGONNE BATTERY TECHNOLOGY

HELPS POWER CHEVY VOLT
A Chevy Volt at a charging station. Its battery is
based on cathode technology, developed at
Argonne National Laboratory, that makes the
battery safer, longer-lived, and more powerful.
Photo Courtesy of General Motors and the
U.S. Department of Energy.

PARTNERS
Argonnes cathode technology has
been licensed to General Motors Co.;
LG Chem, Ltd.; BASF; Envia Systems;
and Toda Kyogo.

FUNDING
Funding for this work was provided by
the U.S. DOE Office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
Vehicle Technologies Office. Funding
for earlier stages of this work, including
at the APS, was provided by the U.S.
DOE-SC.
Intense x-rays from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Sciences (DOE-
SC's) Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory were
used to help Argonne design the technology used in the battery cell that MORE INFO
powers the General Motors Companys Chevrolet Volt. This plug-in hybrid http://www.anl.gov/articles/argonne-
electric vehicle has a range of 53 pure electric miles and up to 420 miles with battery-technology-helps-power-
a full charge and a full tank of gas. chevy-volt
APS x-rays were crucial for designing The Argonne-developed technology
the Volts improved battery cathode by offers the longest-lasting energy TIMELINE
enabling scientists to seefor available in the smallest, lightest In the late 1990s, the U.S. DOE-Basic
the first time at the atomic levelthe package: a 50%-100% increase Energy Sciences funded an intensive
molecular structure of battery material. in energy storage capacity over study of lithium-ion batteries. Argonne
Scientists were able to watch chemical conventional cathode materials. Its developed and patented cathode
reactions as they occurred in the unique lithium- and manganese-rich material technology in lithium-ion
lithium battery, yielding information mixed-metal-oxide combination battery cells. LG Chem Ltd. licensed
needed to start modifying and extends the operating time between the technology from Argonne in 2011
optimizing the cathode materials. charges, increases calendar life, and used the materials to create the
Using new synthesis methods, lithium- and improves the inherent safety of battery supplied for the Chevy Volt.
and manganese-rich materials were lithium-ion cells. General Motors has also licensed the
created that proved much more stable Because the cathode's design is more technology for its own tests.
than those found in existingdesigns. stable than those traditionally used in
batteries, the new batteries are safer
IMPACT and less likely to overheat. CONTACT Gregory Cunningham
Argonnes breakthrough cathode Manganese is inexpensive, so the Communications, Education, and
battery costs less to manufacture. Public Affairs
material helped enable the Chevy
The upper charging voltage limit also Phone: (630)-252-5561
Volt, the first mass-produced plug-in
increased to 4.6 voltshigher than the E-mail: gcunningham@anl.gov
electricvehicle.
usual operating voltagecreating a
tremendous jump in energy capacity.

Argonne National Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy

laboratory managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC. September 2016