The Rail Manufacturing CRC has announced the HEC Group will join the Centre as a new participant on an innovative lithium battery project.
Working in partnership with the University of Technology Sydney and the HEC Group, the project overseen by the Rail Manufacturing CRC will focus on the development of new materials for lithium ion batteries to be used for rail vehicle propulsion, regenerative braking, signaling systems and auxiliary applications.
The Rail Manufacturing CRC is responsible for connecting industry organisations with Australian research institutions to deliver leading rail R&D projects, with the Centre’s CEO Dr. Stuart Thomson recognising a strong connection between the HEC Group’s capabilities and the Rail Manufacturing CRC’s purpose.
“The Rail Manufacturing CRC is pleased to have the HEC Group join the Centre as a new participant, and is excited to work together to develop new lithium battery technologies to service the rail industry’s need for new energy regeneration and storage solutions,” Dr. Thomson said.
Targeting hi-tech batteries as a major growth engine, the HEC Group has invested heavily in the energy storage sector. The HEC Group Australian division CEO Dr. Shuwei Wan is looking forward to his organisation working on a project that could have far reaching benefits to the rail industry.
“The HEC Group has extensive experience in the development of electronic components and energy storage materials. These have the potential to contribute to new battery technologies that could reduce the need for overhead electrical infrastructure and also aid in the future development of hybrid-powered trains,” Dr. Wan shared.
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is the lead university on the lithium ion batteries project. The Director of the UTS Centre for Clean Energy Technology, Distinguished Professor Guoxiu Wang will be responsible for driving the delivery of the research project. The UTS Centre for Clean Energy Technology focuses on the development of efficient devices for energy harvesting, production, saving, storage and conversion of cutting-edge renewable energy technologies for a green future.
“This is an important collaborative project between the Rail Manufacturing CRC, the HEC Group and UTS, which has the potential to bring about innovative new battery technologies that not only benefit the Australian industry, but the global rail market as a whole,” Professor Wang said.
The lithium ion batteries project is co-funded by the Rail Manufacturing CRC, and is expected to be completed by December 2019.
About the Rail Manufacturing CRC
The Rail Manufacturing CRC was established in 2014 and will operate for a period of six years, funded by the Business Cooperative Research Centres Programme of the Australian Government’s Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. The Rail Manufacturing CRC fosters, sponsors and directs collaborative innovative research and commercialisation partnerships between key stakeholders in the rail manufacturing sector.
About the HEC Group
Founded in 1997, the HEC Group is an international enterprise with a turnover of more than AU $5 billion in 2016. HEC has core manufacturing businesses in the areas of electronic materials, energy storage systems, intelligent electronic devices, pharmaceuticals and wellbeing products, with six manufacturing bases. dedicated to Research and Development, the HEC Group owns the largest production facilities of anode foil for electrolytic capacitors in Asia.