Alcoa And Altair Announce Joint Battery Project

Alcoa's AFL Automotive business and Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. have announced an agreement to develop a battery pack system for medium-duty hybrid trucks.

Altairnano specializes in nano-titanate battery technology and AFL has expertise in vehicle electrical distribution systems, power management electronics. Alcoa is also a major supplier of aluminum components to the automotive industry that improve performance and increase fuel efficiency.

The agreement provides for the delivery of an integrated battery pack system for the medium-duty hybrid truck market using Altairnano's NanoSafe battery technology and AFL Automotive's electrical interconnect and application technology, which will integrate the battery pack system into the vehicle's electrical system.

The joint development agreement involves system design, development and prototyping, which is expected to be completed in early 2007.