The project is part of a $17m funding package, provided by the United States Department of Energy, and is the only one headed up by a higher education institution.

Penn State will work with the University of Texas, Austin, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory and industrial power products firm EC Power, exploring new materials for power cells.

The end goal is to provide longer range, higher power density, improved safety and a longer lifespan through better battery technology, according to assistant professor of mechanical engineering and principal investigator Donghai Wang.