Alcoa and Altair collaborate on batteries

Alcoa's

business and

(Altairnano) have announced that they have signed an agreement to develop a battery pack system for medium-duty hybrid trucks.

The collaboration will draw on Altairnano's nano-titanate battery technology and AFL Automotive's expertise in vehicle electrical distribution systems and power management electronics.

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

The scope of the joint development agreement involves system design, development and prototyping, which are expected to be completed in early 2007.