Electric battery: Hydro-Québec signs US$8 million contract with US military

Hydro-Québec spent millions of dollars over several years developing two strategic patents for cathode materials with the US Army’s research laboratory.

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In recent years, Hydro-Québec’s Center of Excellence in Transportation Electrification and Energy Storage (CEETSE) has worked hand-in-hand with the United States Army Research Laboratory (ARL).

“We have signed a single agreement with ARL which is valid from 2016-02 to 2020-02 (later extended till November 2020). The deal is worth US$8 million. Each party (CEETSE and ARL) bears 50% of the costs. Log Caroline des Rosiers, Strategic Communications Advisor for Hydro-Québec.

“The agreement allowed the filing of two patents for new cathode materials. These new materials are currently being evaluated for use in technologies under development at CEETSE,” she added.

In June 2018 Hydro-Québec and a US Army laboratory made progress with a cathode for lithium-ion batteries containing new materials.

At the time, there was also talk of a “world premiere”.

Partnerships

In addition to the US military, the Hydro-Québec center has partnerships with the Nanobio Lab, Nouveau Monde Graphite and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Last Monday, News magazine Hydro-Québec has revealed that it signed a contract with a company linked to the Chinese military in 2018, but the project ultimately fell through due to lack of funding.

Experts wondered why Hydro had signed such a partnership with Beijing.