In Elyria, Ohio, USA, BASF SE has commenced construction of a more than $50-million production facility for innovative cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries used to power hybrid and full-electric vehicles. The facility is being built with the help of a $24.6 million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington, DC, USA, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. When fully operational in 2012, the plant is expected to be the most advanced cathode materials production plant in North America.

In the USA, BASF is one of only two licensed suppliers of the Argonne National Laboratory’s (ANL) patented lithium-stabilized nickel-cobalt-manganese cathode materials, which employ a unique combination of lithium and manganese-rich mixed metal oxides. The license covers a broad range of uses of these materials in today’s lithium-ion batteries.

The next, improved generation of lithium-ion batteries is planned to have a higher energy density, a longer lifetime and improved safety. BASF sees electromobility as a key technology of the future.

• BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany