A123 Systems, a developer and manufacturer of advanced lithium iron phosphate batteries , has unveiled,, a new lithium ion battery technology capable of operating at extreme temperatures without requiring thermal management.
 Nanophosphate EXT is designed to significantly reduce or
eliminate the need for heating or cooling systems, which is expected to
create sizeable new opportunities within the transportation and
telecommunications markets, among others, company officials said.
"We believe Nanophosphate EXT is a game-changing breakthrough that
overcomes one of the key limitations of lead acid, standard lithium ion
and other advanced batteries. By delivering high power, energy and
cycle life capabilities over a wider temperature range, we believe
Nanophosphate EXT can reduce or even eliminate the need for costly
thermal management systems, which we expect will dramatically enhance
the business case for deploying A123's lithium ion battery solutions
for a significant number of applications," said David Vieau, CEO of
A123 Systems.
 Unlike lead acid or other advanced battery technologies, Nanophosphate
EXT is designed to maintain long cycle life at extreme high
temperatures and deliver high power at extreme low temperatures.
According to the testing performed to date at the Ohio State
University's Center for Automotive Research (CAR) and the very low
observed rate of aging, cells built with A123's Nanophosphate EXT are
expected to be capable of retaining more than 90 percent of initial
capacity after 2,000 full charge-discharge cycles at 45 degrees
Celsius.
In addition, Nanophosphate EXT is expected to enable automakers to
significantly reduce or completely eliminate active cooling systems in
electric vehicle battery packs. A123 expects this to lower cost, reduce
weight and improve reliability, providing automakers with a
cost-effective solution that A123 believes will increases efficiency
and minimize system complexity without sacrificing vehicle performance,
battery life or driving range. Strategy consultancy Roland Berger
forecasts that the global automotive lithium ion battery market will
reach more than $9 billion by 2015. By Joseph Szczesny