New Professor To Research Ways Of Improving Battery Performance

A public-private sector collaboration in Wisconsin aimed at improving battery performance for vehicles has a new leading researcher.

Milwaukee-based battery maker Johnson Controls has spent millions of dollars to set up labs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Milwaukee that work on improving energy storage technology. Scientists note that being able to store electrical energy so it can meet demand when needed is vital for better performance of everything from laptop computer to electric vehicles to the electrical grid.

Professor Deyang Qu has just been named to an endowed professorship in the collaboration. He said his long-term goals include shortening the time from research to commercialization, including for products like an electric car, also known as an EV, where some consumers see shortcomings.

“So, for example, the current pure EV can run say, 150-200 miles per charge, but the major problem is consumers anxiety,” he said. “Because when I drive the vehicle outside my garage, I’m not sure I can come back. And also, the fast charge. You don’t want to charge overnight. You want to charge within hours.”

In the short term, Qu said improvements can also be made in energy storage for battery-assisted vehicles run on gasoline. Johnson Controls Vice President Mary Ann Wright said that can have public benefits, too.

“The things he’s talking about, focus on will allow to save real energy — meaning real fossil-fuel consumption — while we’re advancing the technology to someday be able to get affordable performance expecting electric vehicles,” she said.

Officials at the Milwaukee and Madison campuses say another benefit is that Johnson Controls and other firms are hiring some of the graduates of the universities.