Lithium Polymer Battery: 3M and Hydro-Quebec Are Paving the Way For Electric Vehicle Success

24 November 1997

    ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 24 -- The commercial success of
electric vehicles (EVs) rides on the capabilities of new battery technology,
EVs must show improvements in power, range and convenience to compete with
today's gasoline-powered vehicles.  Those improvements are dependent on
advanced batteries, which you can see at the 14th International Electric
Vehicle Symposium (EVS14) in Orlando from Dec. 13-17.
    Many experts believe that lithium polymer battery (LPB) technology
developed by 3M, Hydro-Quebec and Argonne National Laboratory holds the answer
for EVs.  Excellent progress has been made toward attaining the sustained and
acceleration power requirements of the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium, which
has set a variety of aggressive mid- and long-term goals for EV batteries.
    At EVS14 -- booth No. 300 -- 3M and Hydro-Quebec will introduce their LPB
technology.  The technology promises to cost-effectively increase the range of
EVS, allowing them to reach 150-200 miles on a single charge.  The booth
features a full-size mock-up display of an LPB pack, highlighting its design
flexibility.  Visitors also can view videos on LPBs, featuring the thermal
management system, the monitoring and control system, responses to abuse
testing and the pilot production process.
    As part of the EVS14 agenda, a presentation on "Lithium Polymer Battery
Pack Design" will be delivered on Wed., Dec. 17, from 8-9:30 a.m.  The
presenter is Claude Letourneau of ArgoTech, a subsidiary of Hydro-Quebec that
is producing LPB packs for performance testing and road tests.
    The LPB is considered one of the best options for creating a viable,
rechargeable EV battery.  The LPB is the first-ever solid-state battery for
EV's.  The polymer electrolyte allows for the safe use of lithium, the
lightest metal in the world and the most attractive negative electrode
available for electrochemical power sources.
    Hydro-Quebec is a Montreal-based utility company that has conducted
extensive research on LPBs for more than 18 years. 3M provides the expertise
in producing thin-film materials.  The two companies have made the necessary
investments to build pilot production capacity to provide development
quantities of LPB packs in the coming years.
    "We've demonstrated that LPBs are technically feasible; we've scaled up
the technology to battery modules; and we've verified cycle life performance
and manufacturing costs.  Now we're going to manufacture demonstration packs
and prove they're safe, long lived and affordable," said Michel Gauthier,
Hydro-Quebec program manager.
    3M is a diversified manufacturing company with 1996 sales of nearly
$14.2 billion. With operations in more than 60 countries around the world, 3M
employs more than 74,000 people.  Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., 3M is a
manufacturer of more than 50,000 products for the industrial, commercial,
consumer and health care markets.
    Hydro-Quebec is a publicly owned utility headquartered in Montreal.  It
generates, transmits and distributes almost all of the electricity in Quebec,
more than 95 percent of which is produced through renewable hydropower.
Hydro-Quebec has conducted extensive research into lithium polymer technology
for more than 16 years and is recognized as a leader in lithium-polymer
battery research.
    Argonne National Laboratory, one of the United States' leading basic and
applied research organizations, also will continue its participation.  New
work on LPBs is also being conducted at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory on energy
analysis efficiency. Berkely Lab is the oldest in the system of scientific
research laboratories funded by the U.S. Dept. of Energy.
    "W" is a registered trademark of the 3M Company.

SOURCE  3M