Initial Application Step: Interested applicants must first submit a concept paper before January 15, 2010 at 5:00 P.M. (EST). The concept paper is limited to six pages, including an abstract (150 word limit), technical section (five page limit, when combined with abstract), and cost summary (one page limit). Please note: Important information re registration and other pre-submission requirements (including ARPA-E eXCHANGE submission mechanics) is included in the funding opportunity announcement (FOA). Please refer to the FOA for details.

Notice of Encouragement/Discouragement to Submit Full Application: Anticipated early February 2010

Full Application Submission Deadline: Anticipated early March

Award Date: Estimated date will be specified by FOA amendment no later than date of notification of encouragement/ discouragement

Award Size: Anticipated award size is from $1,000,000 to $5,000,000. The minimum amount for each award is $500,000 and the maximum amount is $10,000,000. ARPA-E anticipates awarding agreements totaling $35,000,000 for this award.

Award Instrument: Grant, cooperative agreement, or technology investment assignment (TIA)

Program Description

The purpose of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E) is to create transformational new energy technologies and systems through funding and managing research and development (R&D) efforts. ARPA-E’s mission is to overcome the long-term and high-risk technological barriers in the development of energy technologies that (1) enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that result in reductions of imports of energy from foreign sources, reductions of energy-related emissions, including greenhouse gases, and improvement in the energy efficiency of all economic sectors, and (2) ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. It is expected that energy technologies funded by ARPA-E will help catalyze breakthroughs for national priorities which harness science and technology to address the “grand challenges” of the 21st century and unleash a clean energy revolution.

This FOA is primarily focused on the development of advanced battery chemistries, architectures, and manufacturing processes with the potential to provide electric vehicle (EV) battery system level energy densities exceeding 200 Wh/kg (mass density) and 300 Wh/liter (volumetric density) at system level costs of $250/kWh or below. The ability for proposed battery technologies to achieve system level target metrics on a number of other key performance parameters (detailed below) is of significant, but secondary, importance, as it is ARPA-E’s belief that the required ambitious energy density and cost metrics for widespread adoption of EVs represent the most significant challenges and emerging technology opportunities facing battery technology development for EV applications today.

Areas of Interest

Areas of interest for this FOA include, but are not limited to, the following:

Metal-air battery approaches that address the low cycle life, low power density, and low round trip efficiency of current approaches; especially related to improvements in the bifunctional air cathode. All Metal-air battery chemistries are of interest. ARPA-E states that particularly strong opportunities exist to borrow innovations from the fuel cell field to improve the bifunctional air cathode.
Lithium-sulfur battery approaches that address the low cycle life and high self-discharge of existing state-of-the-art technology.
Disruptive new Lithium-air battery concepts that have the potential to dramatically increase device level power density, cycle life, and round trip efficiency from their current low levels; with particular interest in advanced approaches for dramatically improving the performance and cycle life of the bifunctional air cathode. ARPA-E states that particularly strong opportunities exist to borrow innovations from the fuel cell field to improve the bifunctional air cathode.
Advanced batteries with novel Li-metal anode protection schemes.
Non lithium based intercalation batteries.
Advanced Lithium-ion based battery systems that greatly exceed the energy density potential of existing traditional Lithium-ion based systems, including displacement reaction cathodes and other advanced approaches.
Other highly novel battery/electrical energy storage approaches with potential for very high energy density and low cost.
Novel battery architectures, manufacturing processes, and packaging schemes.
Advanced battery chemistries, architectures, and manufacturing processes that hold strong potential to enable the U.S. to gain leadership in EV battery technology development and manufacturing.

ARPA-E states it is not interested in funding projects with any of the following attributes:

Incremental improvements in Lithium-ion batteries.
Component innovations that are not validated through demonstration of device and/or system level performance demonstration.
Technology areas that have already received significant support from the DOE Office of Vehicles (including its Batteries for Advanced Transportation Technologies (BATT) program) and the United States Automotive Battery Consortium. These funding programs have mainly focused on traditional and emerging Lithium-ion battery approaches to date.
Technology areas with clear technology show stoppers in any of the Primary Technical Requirements or Secondary Technical Targets that are not addressed clearly by the applicant.

Mandatory Program Requirements

ARPA-E states that it welcomes submissions from any type of capable technology research and development entity. This includes, but is not limited to, for-profit entities, academic institutions, research foundations, not-for-profit entities, collaborations, and consortia. A Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) may submit a proposal as a project lead entity; only if the FFRDC is the lead for a consortium, collaboration, or other teaming arrangement. The FFRDC may not submit a proposal as a stand along entity. A minimum of 90% of the work, as defined by total project costs, must be performed on U.S. soil, which includes the United States proper and its territories.

Cost Sharing

If a recipient is exclusively a university, college, or other educational institution, a cost share of at least 10% of the total allowable costs will be required. Cost share of at least 20% is required of all other applicants. For consortia or teams that include educational institutions: the 10% minimum applies to those educational institutions, and other members of the consortia/team must cost share at least 20% of their portion of the consortium's effort. For awards where ARPA-E determines that use of a TIA is appropriate—when a standard grant or cooperative agreement is not feasible or appropriate—a minimum 50% cost share of the total project cost is required. (Exceptional circumstances, on a case-by-case determination at the highest levels within DOE, may warrant a somewhat lower cost-share percentage).

Technical Requirements/Targets

Requirement/Target	Category	Description
Primary Requirement 1.1	Specific Energy Density (at C/3 discharge rate)	200 Wh/kg (system), 400 Wh/kg (cell)
Primary Requirement 1.1	Volumetric Energy Density (at C/3 discharge rate)	300 Wh/liter (system), 600 Wh/liter (cell)
Primary Requirement 1.1	System Cost	Realistic potential for < $250 / kWh (system)
Secondary Target 2.1	Specific Power Density (80% Depth of Discharge, 30s)	400 W/kg (system), 800 W/kg (cell)
Secondary Target 2.1	Volumetric Power Density (80% Depth of Discharge, 30s)	600W/liter (system), 1200 W/liter (cell)
Secondary Target 2.1	Cycle Life	1000 cycles at 80% Depth of Discharge (cell/system), with cycle life defined as number of cycles at which a >20% reduction in any energy/power density metric occurs relative their initial values
Secondary Target 2.1	Round Trip Efficiency	80% at C/3 charge and discharge
Secondary Target 2.1	Temperature Tolerance	-30 to 65C, with <20% relative degradation of energy density, power density, cycle life and round trip efficiency relative to 25C performance
Secondary Target 2.1	Self Discharge	>15%/month self discharge (of initial specific energy density or volumetric energy density)
Secondary Target 2.1	Safety	Tolerant of abusive charging conditions and physical damage without catastrophic failure
Secondary Target 2.1	Calendar Life	10 years