Partnership To Advance Military Field Energy Sources

(U.S. Air Force)

A team from Maxwell Technologies Inc. in San Diego, California, University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and the U.S. Navy will develop a lighter, longer-lasting, energy source for field radios and other portable electronic equipment carried by military personnel. Maxwell Technologies says today that Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded the company a $1.7 million contract for the first phase of the project.

To ensure that military personnel are energy self-sufficient in the field during extended missions, they typically carry primary and spare batteries weighing more than 60 pounds to power a growing assortment of portable electronic equipment. The goal of this program, says the company, is to develop an energy source that provides extended run time and longer operational life than existing batteries alone, thus reduces the need to carry spare batteries.

Maxwell Technologies says the new device will combine an advanced capacitor module, an advanced battery pack, and power management electronics. The company develops and builds ultracapacitor cells and multi-cell modules for applications in consumer and industrial electronics, automotive, transportation, and telecommunications.

Related: Contract Awarded for Microgrid Powered Military Vehicles

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