NAECO, LLC — Department of Energy STTR Phase II: C52-20h

Description

Statement of the Problem: The Department of Energy (DOE) is promoting R&D into Affordable, Breakthrough Leapfrog Electric and Thermal Applications (CABLE). While DOE has funded research on high conductivity materials before, the comprehensive CABLE approach mandates that a breakthrough in electrical or thermal conductivity be balanced with maintenance of other properties needed for applications to achieve commercial success. Furthermore, the CABLE material and its applications must be sufficiently broad and affordable that it enables leapfrogging international competitors and fostering a host of new manufacturing industries to make higher performing materials and the products—everything from transmission and electric vehicle (EV) cables to solar cells— enabled by them.Statement of How this Problem is Being Addressed: By developing a graphene-infused copper composite material, designers and manufacturers of EV charging systems will have a material that performs better than copper: conducting electricity more efficiently leading to faster and more efficient EV charging that requires less energy from the national grid than system which use standard commercial materials available today.What is to be done in Phase II?: NAECO, LLC will collaborate with the DOE’s Pacific Northwest national Laboratory to develop and evaluate a proprietary process known as ShAPE™ to evaluate produce and evaluate copper wire and components similar to those used in high voltage EV chargers. We will manufacture EC copper at bulk scale and certify performance to satisfy the requirements for electric vehicle couplers including thermal, electrical, and other safety standards.Commercial Applications and Other Benefit: Enhanced Conductivity Copper would provide Americans with material to build more efficient charging systems for our consumer, commercial and military EV’s. The technology could cross-over into other markets, such as Aerospace, where improved electrical energy efficiency can provide a competitive advantage for American industry.