Quallion Receives Grant for Battery Development

Quallion LLC is one of five companies receiving grant money from a consortium of car manufacturers to develop advanced batteries for use in electric vehicles. Sylmar-based Quallion received $1.41 million for an 18-month demonstration project of its Matrix battery design. The Matrix is a battery pack using a mixture of high power and high energy lithium ion cells. Also receiving grant money from the United States Advanced Battery Consortium are Envia Systems Inc., in Newark, Calif.; ActaCell Inc. of Austin, Texas; Leyden Energy Inc. of Freemont, Calif.; K2 Energy Solutions Inc. of Henderson, Nev. The battery consortium is made up of Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. The grant money was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy. “These programs are essential to advance the technology needed to meet both near- and long-term goals that will enable a broad spectrum of vehicle electrification,” said Steve Zimmer, executive director of the United States Council for Automotive Research LLC. Mark R. Madler