WASHINGTON, D.C.—Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) hailed the Department of Energy announcement today of $7.1 million in funding for two Palo Alto advanced battery research companies. Palo Alto Research Center and Robert Bosch LLC were awarded the funds under ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy), a high-tech energy initiative Eshoo proposed in the Democratic Innovation Agenda and funded for the first time through the 2009 Recovery Act.

"When it comes to America's energy independence, everything counts," Rep. Eshoo said. "This important funding will help leverage breakthroughs in advanced battery projects, leading to production of smarter, safer, cheaper and more efficient batteries for consumers."

Palo Alto Research Center was awarded $4 million for its project, which develops new fiber optic sensors that are inserted into battery packs to monitor and measure batteries during charge and discharge cycles. These compact fiber optical sensors will measure the battery's health while in use to avoid degradation and failure.

Bosch, awarded $3.1 million, will develop battery monitoring and control software to improve the energy utilization, reliability, and charge rate of electric vehicle batteries. The company's advanced battery management system will help lead to developments in real-time modeling of a battery's internal environment.

These projects are supported through two new ARPA-E programs—Advanced Management and Protection of Energy Storage Devices (AMPED) and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR). The programs focus on innovations in battery management and storage to advance electric vehicle technologies, help improve the efficiency and reliability of the electrical grid and provide important energy security benefits to America's armed forces.

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