A123 Systems has announced an agreement with Argonne National Laboratory to collaborate on a three-year, multi-million-dollar cathode development program that will focus on improving cathode safety without compromising energy density or battery life.

A123 will leverage its battery expertise to commercialize advances in nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) technology originally developed by Argonne, which already accounts for nearly half of the company’s current production. Today six plug-in vehicle models use A123’s NMC technology.

“Working with Argonne will further advance our already strong presence in plug-in vehicles and support the increasing market demand globally” says A123 CEO Jason Forcier. “We look forward to expanding our customer base as we offer increasingly greater range to our plug-in vehicle programs without compromising on the life and safety performance that the market has come to expect from A123.”

Source: A123