When Ford handed over the keys to a plug-in Escape hybrid to Southern California Edison last December, one of many secrets the companies kept to themselves was which battery maker was responsible for the lithium-ion batteries fulfilling the electric part of the equation. The company has now been revealed and it's Johnson Controls-Saft, which has a dedicated li-ion battery plant in France. Johnson Controls will be providing the li-ion batteries for all of the PHEV Escapes for Ford's demonstration fleet (including those at the Electric Power Research Institute) as it grows from the one or two on the road today to 20 in the coming year and a half. More PHEV Escapes will be delivered to the utilities later this month, and future versions will be tweaked and updated as data comes in from the daily drives. More from Ford after the jump.

Johnson Controls and Saft have a partnership to produce lithium ion batteries for automotive applications. Among other projects they are one of the two suppliers chosen for GM's Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid program. Saft has also provided lithium ion battery packs for concept vehicles such as the Chevy Sequel and Ford HySeries drive Edge. The two companies are opening a new plant in Nersac, France to manufacture lithium batteries for a variety of car-makers including Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler and General Motors. The €15million plant has an initial capacity of 5,000 packs a year and will be able to scale up as demand increases. It is believed to be the first plant to be dedicated to automotive lithium ion batteries.

[Source: Financial Times]

Boeing is getting an early start on what it sees as a possible emerging market, that of hydrogen fuel cell powered electric airplanes. They have created an electric airplane which generates its electricity from a fuel cell. The machine is a standard propeller driven plane with a 53.5 foot wingspan which was converted to store the lithium ion batteries, the fuel cell and the hydrogen storage tanks. During takeoff, where the highest draw of power is required, the lithium ion batteries provide the power to the motor, and at constant cruising speed of 62 mph, the Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell provides the power.

Alternatively, Boeing is investigating the possibility of using fuel cells to generate the electricity for secondary systems, as opposed to fossil fuel powered generators or a take off from the primary engine. The full press release is after the break.

Continue after the break to read the entire press release.

[Source: Boeing]

In January, Johnson Controls Inc (JCI) and Saft Advanced Power Solutions, a Paris-based battery company, combined efforts in a joint venture (JCS) to further the development of lithium-ion batteries for vehicle applications. Last month, the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium, an umbrella organization involving collaborative research between DaimlerChrysler, Ford and GM, along with the U.S. Department of Energy awarded the joint venture a 2-year contract to continue its research and development.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the battery market for hybrids is currently dominated by Japanese alliances. Panasonic Electric Vehicle Energy, a Toyota joint venture, owns 74 percent. Sanyo who makes batteries for the Ford Escape Hybrid and the Honda Accord Hybrid has 13 percent while an independent Panasonic battery operation covers the rest. However, nearly all batteries found in hybrid vehicles today use nickel. As the demand for hybrids has grown and continues to rise, the price of nickel has skyrocketed from $7 per kilogram in the mid '90s to $25 per kilogram today.

The focus of the JCS joint venture will be on improving power in low temperatures and reducing the costs of lithium-ion batteries which contain a much higher energy density than their nickel-metal hydride counterparts. As far as costs go, the goal is to make a battery for $500. Alan Mumby, vice president and general manager for Johnson Controls' hybrid battery business, said the company is on target to meet its goals.

In a press release, Mumby said, "This program positions the JCS joint venture as the leading manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for the next generation of alternative powertrain vehicles."

[Source: Detroit Free Press]