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Article updated: 1/7/2013 5:12 AM

Battery dream team will spark innovations in cars, grid

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Argonne chemical engineer Andrew Jansen lines up positive and negative electrodes on a machine called a winder. The two electrodes will be wound together with a separator to create a structure called a "jellyroll," which is then used to make a prototype lithium-ion battery.

courtesy of Argonne National Lab

The heft of the Chevrolet Volt battery is apparent from this replica on display next to a Volt at a 2009 General Motors event.

courtesy of Argonne National Lab

George Crabtree, Argonne scientist and head of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, says a better battery is possible in five years.

Paul Michna | Staff Photographer

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Can the science wizards at Argonne re-invent the massive, expensive batteries that power electric cars so that you could afford one? That's the hope, say researchers with the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research. “We're pulling together the best scientific minds in the country to look at new ways to store energy,” said JCESR Deputy Director Jeff Chamberlain, a surface chemist who lives in Aurora.

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