EnerDel has announced confirmation by a U.S. government laboratory of the energy, power and efficiency, as well as thermal performance, of the company's lithium-ion automotive battery system.

The tests were conducted by the Center for Transportation Research of Illinois-based Argonne National Laboratory. For the purposes of the tests, EnerDel integrated its battery system into a Toyota Prius hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), which comes factory fitted with a nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery system. It is important to note that, for purposes of the test, no material modifications were made to the Prius other than the integration of the battery system. Based on the testing with the lithium-titanate battery, in a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) configuration, EnerDel was able to achieve 77.41 MPG over a Federal urban drive cycle. Argonne ran a standard PHEV test on the Toyota Prius HEV to establish an approximation of future performance of the vehicle in a PHEV configuration. In the future, the size of the battery as well as an extension of the electric range could be increased to improve miles per gallon fuel economy.

The EnerDel battery pack, which is based on the company's unique lithium-titanate chemistry, avoided overheating during the test, which is a principal concern with lithium-ion batteries. The 1,000-watt-hour pack required no external cooling system when powering the test vehicle on the dynamometer, which could lead to a reduction of costs and an increase in the car's available space compared to its NiMH battery system.

"It's our view that the principal outcome of this test is the further validation of the performance of EnerDel's specific battery chemistry in a vehicle," said EnerDel CEO Ulrik Grape. "We believe this is the ideal lithium-ion chemistry for HEVs. The relentless focus of our scientists and engineers on performance and safety factors is paying off."

Previously Idaho National Labs had confirmed, in cell testing, that an EnerDel system could produce approximately twice as much usable energy as the Prius' NiMH battery pack. As a result, the EnerDel battery can be reduced to about half the size and half the weight of a NiMH battery with the same power performance. Moreover, EnerDel expects its pack to cost significantly less than a NiMH battery with similar performance characteristics.

Internal testing conducted by EnerDel indicates that the EnerDel battery also produces approximately twice as much power (90 kW) as a NiMH system of equivalent size and weight, which allows for better acceleration and improved driving experience. Operating in the test Prius the test results showed that there was a 67% reduction in internal resistance which means that more charge is delivered to and from the battery, increasing range and reducing heat and wasted energy.

"We were extremely pleased that the Argonne National Lab results corroborated our internal testing," commented Ener1, Inc. Chairman Charles Gassenheimer. "We are that much more confident that EnerDel's battery system solutions will help lead the alternative energy automotive industry."