ACG Chicago Summit Drives National Automotive Battery Alliance

CHICAGO December 23, 2008: The Chicago chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, the premier professional organization focused on corporate growth, corporate development and mergers and acquisitions, provided the impetus for the nation’s first National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Battery Cell Manufacture when it invited these key players to participate in its Advanced Automobile Battery Investment Summit in June.

Corporate executives, scientific leaders and educational institutions came together for the summit to address the latest developments, and the need to create a state-of-the-art lithium ion battery manufacturing facility became evident. The relationships built at this conference and the ongoing dedication of those participants resulted in the formation of the Alliance, the development of a mission to solve the nation’s needs in this critical area and the funding proposal recently presented to the federal government.

“This is just one example of how effective collaboration can be, bringing the country’s top leaders together to influence and protect our nation’s growth, investment and technology advancement,” said Craig Miller, CEO of ACG Chicago. “The formation of the Alliance is a turning point for the U.S. battery industry and ACG Chicago is proud to be its catalyst.”

The billion-dollar proposal seeks to develop one or more manufacturing and prototype development centers in the U.S. for Alliance members to design, test and manufacture proprietary and semi-proprietary large format lithium-ion battery cells that will power next generation motor vehicles. Lithium ion batteries are anticipated to be the key electric storage technology for transportation, and substantially reduce the need for gasoline as a source of energy.

In the 1980s, a government-supported collaboration called Sematech helped the U.S. regain its leadership role in semiconductor manufacturing. The Alliance is modeled after that success, leading the cleantech industry in the 21^st century. Today, U.S. automobile manufacturers and defense contractors depend upon foreign suppliers for lithium ion battery cells. The Alliance will allow this key U.S. industry to develop, build and retain technology leadership. As a result of the Alliance’s proposal, the federal government will require any U.S. automaker receiving a government subsidy to give preference to the purchase of batteries from the Alliance, keeping jobs and opportunity in the country.

“ACG Chicago provided important resources to the battery alliance that permitted its members to organize,” stated Jim Greenberger, ACG Chicago Venture Network Chair and attorney for the Alliance. “If the American auto industry survives into the 21^st century because it is able to move from internal combustible engines to electricity-based drive trains, ACG Chicago will have played an important role in facilitating that survival.”

The Alliance is made up of influential organizations from across the country, including 3M, ActaCell, All Cell Technologies, Altair Nanotechnologies, Dontech Global, EaglePicher Corporation, EnerSys, Envia Systems, FMC, Johnson Controls-Saft, MicroSun Technologies, Mobius Power, SiLyte, Superior Graphite and Townsend Advanced Energy.