Here is a nice article about what A123 Systems is up to these days.
Good factual article for once, so I thought I would pass it on.
http://www.torquenews.com/2250/a123-systems-slimmed-down-still-around
A123 Systems is slimmed down but still around
The battery company A123 Systems has been best known for its failure
since it filed for bankruptcy protection in October 2012. Yet the
company is still operating under its old name with new ownership and
has sold its grid storage division to focus on the automotive sector.
Despite being tossed into the "whatever happened to them" category
following its highly publicized bankruptcy filing, A123 Systems would
like to point out they haven't gone anywhere. Since being purchased
at auction by China's Wanxiang Group (which also purchased Fisker)
for $257 million, A123 Systems has been repairing its image without
fundamentally changing its business.
Wanxiang is a family of companies that invests in struggling
businesses with potential and operates essentially as a holding
company. As a result, A123 hasn't changed that much. In an interview
for the October 2013 issue of Charged magazine, A123 spokesman Jeff
Kessen said A123 is "still basically the same entity, focused on
transportation and grid energy storage."
That focus changed somewhat this week as the company sold its grid
storage division for $100 million to the Japanese system integrator
NEC Corporation. The ostensible purpose was to focus on the
transportation sector, particularly the potentially lucrative future
market for micro-hybrids. The relatively simple and inexpensive
start-stop technology is already huge in Europe and is beginning to
take hold in the United States thanks to stricter fuel economy
standards. Micro-hybrids can employ lithium-ion batteries to provide
more power than a conventional battery, necessary to provide
electricity to the vehicle's systems while the engine is off and
repeatedly restart the engine, and to add regeneration capability.
A123 as a result of this deal will become a major supplier of
lithium-ion cells to NEC in addition to its existing high-profile
customers, which include BMW (for the battery packs of the 3-series
and 5-series hybrids) and GM (for the battery pack of the Chevrolet
Spark EV). Their commercial vehicle customers also include Daimler
and Smith Electric Vehicles, a company that makes electric delivery trucks.
If you thought A123 was down and out, think again. They could still
be a major player among battery suppliers in the future electric
vehicle industry, although for the time being it appears they have
their sights set lower. Maybe that's a good thing.
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