Electro Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: EEEI), a provider of advanced battery technologies, announced a contract award from Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) for technology development of Very High Specific Energy Battery Cells for use in the company's High Altitude Airship (HAATM ) program.
Lockheed contracted Electro Energy to develop an advanced, light-weight, rechargeable lithium ion battery to help power the HAA. Under the contract, EEEI will incorporate advanced materials into their bipolar wafer cell technology with the objective to achieve improved battery "specific energy" -- or energy per unit mass.
Lockheed Martin describes the HAA as an unmanned, lighter-than-air vehicle that will operate above the jet stream in a quasi-geostationary position to deliver persistent station keeping as a surveillance platform, telecommunications relay, or a weather observer. The HAA will provide an array of communication and navigation services for both civilian and military purposes. This concept takes lighter-than-air vehicles into a realm that gives users capabilities on par with satellites at a fraction of the cost. In position, the 500 foot long by 150 foot diameter airship would survey a 600-mile diameter area. Lighter-than-air vehicles, operating at altitudes above controlled airspace under the control of a manned ground station, give users the flexibility to change payload equipment, when the airship returns to its operational base, to perform different tasks.
Lockheed Martin is currently in the contract's third phase, prototype build and flight demonstration, awarded by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The MDA’s performance goals for the prototype HAA include sustained operations for approximately one month, above 60,000 feet, while providing power to a payload for military use.
EEI's Bipolar batteries use a unique and patented flat wafer cell design allowing the cells to be made in any shape and are therefore applicable to a wide variety of military and commercial applications. Wafer cells are stacked one on top of another to create multi-cell batteries with the required energy capacity and voltage for a given application.
As the current flows perpendicular to the contact surfaces in this technology, the current path is short and demonstrates exceptionally low resistance compared to traditional battery flow, which in turn, offers benefits such as simpler and lower heating during battery recharge and discharge. The travel time of the current through the cell and the subsequent battery pack or module is also much faster than in traditional battery design.
Electro Energy Inc., headquartered in Danbury, Connecticut, was founded in 1992 to develop, manufacture and commercialize unique bi-polar battery technology designed to advance current nickel metal hydride (NiMH) and lithium ion (Li-ion) battery chemistries. They claim that their patented bipolar batteries are cheaper, lighter, more efficient, longer lasting, and have a greater range of application than any other batteries currently on the market.
Great to see that national security military industrial theivery might be directed at developing better batteries.
That can be used to fight the real national and international security issues. Stop oil use by using these batteries in plugin hybrids to end oil wars and GHG climate disaster.
But of course, to get the funding, destroying our constitutional rights with more spying has to be the official reason to direct the tax dollars to the effort. pretty pathetic.
Posted by: amazingdrx | June 26, 2007 at 08:16 AM
This is a small example of how tax money spent on the military not only protects our country and allies but has technological spin offs that benefit the world.
Posted by: JohnBo | June 27, 2007 at 02:23 AM
I'm in sympathy with amazingdrx... The clever airship, which is supposed to operate in the jet-stream (some 300mph wind speeds!!?? And, with solar powered motors???), will be used to monitor OUR cell-phone communications and will serve as a platform for visual inspection and observation of "suspected" terrorist activities. I don't like this at all...
Best of luck to EEEI, but I would hope their technology could be put to better use than in another (illegal) effort to diminish our civil and personal liberties by this already damnable, corrupt administration, and will sell my shares when and if this ever gets back decently into the green.
Posted by: Plenum | June 27, 2007 at 07:40 AM
They need to put the first one over Baghdad.
Posted by: Luigi_Aronson | June 27, 2007 at 10:11 PM
Biometric ID would put illegal alien and terror fear mongering to rest for good. And remove the ginned up excuse for government/corporate spying on US all.
It would allow employers to be sure they are hiring legal workers and enforcement of existing laws would then make sure that the main reason for illegal immigration, illegal hiring would stop.
Terrorists plotting anything here could be spotted before they get anywhere with their nefarious plans. Making spying on US legitimate citizens inexcusable.
Corporate/government spying is now being used to profile voters, in effect breaking the secret ballot seal on the voting booth, in order to redistrict and pre-determine the outcome of elections in favor of corporate power unlimited.
Posted by: amazingdrx | July 01, 2007 at 08:34 AM
Biotech and Energy Battery Cells is the Future. Armand Rousso
Posted by: Armand rousso | July 06, 2007 at 12:40 PM
Yes Armand Rousso this is the future and the goal is to achieve significantly higher specific energy than current state-of-the-art batteries in support of this next-generation airship.
Posted by: garry | July 14, 2007 at 05:31 AM
Diesel and diesel engines are lighter than any battery. Very small diesel engine-generators can now be made.
Hydrogen blimps could carry hydrogen fuel to such an aircraft. Hydrogen blimps could also carry diesel fuel. Water made from the hydrogen or diesel could be used as ballast to take the blimp back down. The helium in the airship could be heated or cooled with a heat exchanger to avoid the loss of ballast.
Hydrogen is not as dangerous as the Hindenburg fire makes people believe. The predecessor of the Hindenburg, the Graff Zepellin, flew for several years and around the world and was only destroyed to recover its aluminum alloys for WWII. No passenger was ever killed in a commercial German airship fire prior to the Hindenburg.
Never the less to lessen the perceived risk, the Hydrogen filled delivery ships will only connect with hoses to the airship. A tanker blimp could deliver hydrogen and diesel at the same time to the engines of the airship for days until it had lost all of the diesel and enough hydrogen to drive back to the earth..hg...
Posted by: Henry Gibson | July 18, 2007 at 03:34 PM
It operates ABOVE the jet stream...
Posted by: Dave Narby | July 31, 2007 at 12:52 AM
Why don't they use the jetstream to power it through use of a turnbine. Will it also broadcast WiFi/WiMax or better air traffic control tracking?
Posted by: Ben | August 10, 2007 at 12:17 AM
Ben;
I agree with you that a vehicle at very high altitude could serve as a relay station for Air Traffic Control Secondary Radar (SSR) data over a very wide area.
Such relay station could effectively replace up to 10+ ground stations and/or increase current system redundancy and safety, specailly over areas with low or no SSR coverage.
Posted by: Harvey D | September 25, 2007 at 10:53 AM
TO: ELECTROENERGY
3820 S. Hancock Expressway
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80911-1231
Tel 917-392-4266 Fax 719-392-5103
From: Electronics Design
22 VIA Chula Vista
MANITOU SPRINGS. CO 80829-2410
CEO: Daniel John Conklin
(719) 687 6887
Dear: (Electro Energy) cc. Jeff Haden.
In Lu of a Supplier report Performance rating Date 05/07-1207 P.O.42900 Electro Energy you gave our company a 100% rating.
We left a peace of product belonging to our company for test purposes only a CPUb55h test station.
I have tried over 100 times to make communications with you and your company by phone regarding this mater, and email.
Electronics Repair has incurred gate losses due to the none recovery of this unit.
1. Data equashion time.
2. Programming time.
3. And demonstration ability to potential customers.
I received no response, it’s been over thee months, and now I have learned that not only has you plant closed down, but that your phone number is now a number been given to sum one else other than Electro Energy.
The company assured me that my product was safe with them and that there was no problem with returning it back to me at any time, I find it hard to understand, that due to the closeting date that no effort has been made to return the CPU B55h mother Board back to this company.
This has left Electronics Design no other choice but to take legal action agents the named company.
ELECTROENERGY.
In regards to our test station, it was purchased originally by Pall Allen, and Matthew D Shoue in Seattle WA.
Then given to Daniel Jon Conklin CEO of Electronics Design for further development.
As you can see a grater value could be placed on this unit but is not please RETURN AT ONCE!
A Program is imbedded in this unit to insure proper Identity to Mr. Daniel J Conklin.
I now have no choice but to take Legal Action
Agents your Named company: (Elector Energy).
My product Value Is 840,000 USD
This unit was developed and made by Electronics Design over the past decade to solve and manufactured over 150,000 items.
We gave it to (Electro Energy) on a trust level of communications, and now receive no response from Electro Energy.
We have lost 5 major jobs due to non-response or return, and now have to ask for recompilation of not only product but also job loses in return.
Returning the unit will be of grate help to us but will not compensate the job loss.
Or manufacture also has in excises of 40 ea B55h timers requested by your company and unpaid for at $56.47Ea in excess of 2258.80 unpaid in the original agreement to our company.
Regards,
Daniel J Conklin.
CEO
Electronics Design,.
A copy of this letter is being sent out to Every link we can find to the above named company Electro Energy and A copy to any known congressional.
Regards,
CEO
Electronics Design.
Daniel J. Conklin.
Posted by: Daniel John Conklin | January 21, 2009 at 04:36 AM
Wow, electro energy for airships?! Incredible!!
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