A "Transforming Energy" Lecture by Tien Duong
March 26, 2010

Abstract

This presentation will discuss the current status and direction of the energy storage R&D effort conducted by the DOE Vehicle Technologies Program (VTP). The energy storage R&D effort is responsible for researching and improving energy storage technologies for a wide range of vehicle applications, including hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and battery electric vehicles (EVs). This effort encompasses multiple activities – hardware development with industry (United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC)), mid-term R&D (Applied Battery Research (ABR)), and focused fundamental research (Batteries for Advanced Transportation Technologies (BATT)). These three energy storage R&D activities are designed to complement each other. The USABC’s goal is to support the development of a domestic advanced battery industry whose products can meet technical goals. The ABR program assists industrial developers in overcoming key barriers to the use of lithium-ion batteries for transportation applications – mainly safety, life and cost. The BATT program addresses fundamental issues of chemistries and materials associated with lithium batteries.

Biography

Tien Duong is currently manager for the Batteries for Advanced Transportation Technologies (BATT) activity at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The focus of the BATT activity is conducting research and development on the next generation of battery technologies – beyond lithium-ion batteries. Tien has been a staff member of the Energy Storage R&D effort in the Vehicle Technologies Program since 1994. He was manager of the Energy Storage R&D effort from 1999 to 2003, and was team lead in the Hybrid and Electric Systems Team from 2004 to 2008. Tien has been a member of the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) Technical Advisory Committee and Management Committee. He has closely coordinated research efforts with the DOE Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), the Basic Energy Sciences Office, and the National Science Foundation. Before joining the DOE, Tien worked as a senior electrical engineer at the U.S. Army Belvoir Research and Development Engineering Center at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He conducted power assessments, design modifications, and testing of generator sets in support of the Department of Defense Project Manager – Mobile Electric Power (PM-MEP) Office. Between 1974 and 1979, Tien studied Chemistry at the University of Saigon, Vietnam before emigrating to the United States. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Civil Engineering, both from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.