If you’ve ever taken a ride in a hybrid electric vehicle, you’ve experienced what it feels like when the engine turns itself off and the vehicle is being powered solely by its battery power. What you may not realize is that ConocoPhillips is part of the power behind the hybrid electric vehicle revolution. Vehicles from General Motors, BMW, Daimler, Volvo Trucks and Chrysler likely will be powered by lithium-ion batteries that utilize ConocoPhillips’ CPreme® anode materials.

CPreme® Energy Storage Materials is a new venture for ConocoPhillips Specialty Products Inc. CPreme® graphite powder is the active material in the anode of lithium-ion batteries, the type of batteries used in consumer products, such as cell phones, laptop computers, power tools and, soon, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

"It’s great to see ConocoPhillips developing critical technology to improve transportation energy efficiency," said Willie Chiang, ConocoPhillips senior vice president, Refining, Marketing and Transportation. "The CPreme® business aligns well with ConocoPhillips’ vision of supplying energy responsibly to the world."

ConocoPhillips has a long-term competency in converting heavy crude oils to valuable byproducts, such as specialty cokes, pitch and other carbons. In the early ’90s, during the industry development phase, Conoco was one of the first companies to supply carbon to lithium-ion battery manufacturers. After significant research and development to understand lithium-ion battery performance requirements, the company began developing the current base technology and products in 2002. They became fully commercial in 2007.

ConocoPhillips currently has several granted patents and patents pending for the developments related to CPreme® technology.

"When we first started developing the technology, lithium-ion batteries were used in applications such as cell phones, cameras, laptops and not much else," said Zhenhua Mao, principal scientist and one of the inventors of CPreme® graphite technology. "Scientists had just begun realizing that there were many challenging issues related to the electrode materials for large format lithium-ion batteries powering vehicles. We found that our technology was particularly useful for solving those problems."

The battery always has been the hurdle in the widespread adoption of the hybrid electric vehicle. Traditional lead-acid batteries were too large and too heavy to be viable. Advanced chemistry, such as the lithium-ion battery, had safety and cost limitations. CPreme® anode material addresses these concerns and helps make lithium-ion batteries in hybrid electric vehicles more practical.

Because of ConocoPhillips’ access to a large raw material base (petroleum coke), ranging from fuel grade to highly crystalline needle grade, the idea of translating these materials into anode products is an instinctive venture. ConocoPhillips’ worldwide infrastructure gives CPreme® Energy Storage Materials an advantage in the industry. The strategic alignment with the future of the transportation industry is a bonus.

"I have been an advocate for this business from the very beginning," said Ann Oglesby, ConocoPhillips general manager, Corporate Planning & Strategy. "It aligns perfectly with Conoco Phillips’ vision of developing new technologies for applications that leverage our expertise and build on existing businesses to offer responsible energy sources."

There are four major functional components of a lithium-ion battery: the anode, the cathode, the separator and the electrolyte, for which a variety of materials may be used. The most common material used in the anode is graphite. In a lithium-ion battery, a lithium ion moves from the anode to the cathode during discharge and in reverse, from the cathode to anode, when charging. Choice of material for the anode, cathode and electrolyte affects the voltage, capacity, life and safety of a lithium-ion battery. The wrong raw materials can change the battery performance dramatically.

"It’s essential that the anode used in our batteries meets the high-power performance requirements necessary to propel a vehicle and still operate safely and reliably," said Ric Fulop, ConocoPhillips vice president, Business Development, and founder of A123Systems, a premium battery manufacturer in the U.S.

"With the current high demand for lithium-ion batteries, we rely on our anode supplier to provide a high- performing, high-quality product, and that’s exactly what Conoco Phillips and CPreme® Energy Storage Materials does. Safety and performance in hybrid electric vehicles simply cannot be compromised."

Batteries in hybrid electric vehicles require an overall high performance: high power for vehicle acceleration; long energy storage for battery cycle life, ultimate safety and long calendar life of the battery.

For instance, cell phone batteries only last one to two years; lithium-ion batteries for use in automobiles have to last 10 years or more. Plus, the lithium-ion batteries used in hybrid electric vehicles have to be able to withstand the frigid cold of Alaska and the extreme heat of Arizona.

"We have qualified CPreme® materials in a number of our automotive lithium-ion batteries, and we expect the number to continually grow," Fulop said.

ConocoPhillips currently is supplying anode material to customers globally and recently completed an expansion of its facility. The team currently is working toward ISO quality certification, which will be complete this year. The demand for CPreme® graphite is expected to increase exponentially. New emissions and fuel standards recently proposed by the federal government will compel automakers to produce more hybrid and electric vehicles.

"The passing of these standards will accelerate the adoption of lithium-ion batteries in the automotive industry," said Bharat Chahar, ConocoPhillips product manager, CPreme® Energy Storage Materials.

Additionally, federal dollars are promised for the establishment of domestic lithium-ion battery manufacturing facilities.

"CPreme® graphite is attractive to battery manufacturers because the product is fully manufactured in the United States, which is rare for anode suppliers," Chahar said. "Most lithium-ion batteries are being produced in Asia, but as their use in auto applications grows, production will shift to North American manufacturers."

Using the technology platform for the anode material, the CPreme® team also is developing the next generation of anode material for further flexibility in use and expects to be supplying the battery industry for years to come.

"The future of CPreme® graphite indeed looks promising," said Mike Brown, manager, ConocoPhillips Specialty Products Inc. "ConocoPhillips was able to extend one of its core

competencies to offer a highly valuable product supplying the energy for tomorrow."