Present status of Army battery technology

Summary form only given. The Army Research Laboratory's (ARL) past battery R&D programs were guided by the need for higher power and energy from smaller, lighter-weight batteries. The safe storage, transportation, use and disposal of these batteries represented a much higher priority than the issue of battery cost. This earlier priority ranking was satisfied initially with the successful development and full-scale fielding of the family of military-unique, nonrechargeable lithium sulfur dioxide batteries in the late 1970s. The continued use of these batteries for peacetime training missions in today's economic environment imposes a major cost burden on Army users. To meet the need for more cost effective batteries for portable military C41 equipment, ARL's advanced battery development efforts are aimed at applying several dual use (military and commercial) battery technologies that are available in commercial products today. The first is the lithium manganese dioxide nonrechargeable system which promises twice the energy of the corresponding lithium sulfur dioxide battery at lower cost on an equal energy basis. The other two are rechargeable battery technologies. The nickel metal hydride system can provide an immediate near term upgrade/replacement for present nickel cadmium batteries. The lithium ion system offers an order of magnitude cost savings when used instead of nonrechargeable lithium batteries in peacetime training exercises. The status of these cost avoidance product developments and quantification of the associated performance-cost trade-offs inherent in each are discussed.<
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