Filed under: Emerging Technologies, USA



As a Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary who pushed hard for plug-in vehicles, it seems only natural that Dr. Steven Chu would eventually hook up with a technology company in that sector once he left his government position. Well, now he has. Battery maker Amprius has announced that the Nobel Laureate has joined the its board.

The company now manufactures a lithium battery for cell phones that uses a silicon nanowire anode developed by co-founder Dr. Yi Cui. It plans to use its technology to power electric vehicles in the future and claims its high-energy, high-capacity chemistry is capable of holding 650 watt-hours within the space of a liter (650 Wh/l).

That would seem to put the technology up there among the better batteries, at least with respect to volumetric density, but it's still difficult to judge overall without knowing how it meets other metrics, such as cycle life, gravametric density - the most frequently-used measure, and cost.

Still, it seems the company's current tech and future potential has been impressive enough to attract not only Dr. Chu, but also, recently, $30 million in Series C funding. In addition, the company boasts on its website that it's been backed by a plethora of venture capital firms and the likes of Google Chairman Eric Schmidt. Scroll below for more crowing over this board appointment in the official press release.Continue reading Former DOE Secretary Steven Chu plugs into battery maker Amprius

Former DOE Secretary Steven Chu plugs into battery maker Amprius originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 23 Jan 2014 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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