The international “Science Award Electrochemistry” from Volkswagen and BASF goes this year to Dr. Vanessa Wood, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, Switzerland. The jury of representatives from BASF, Volkswagen and from academia selected Dr. Wood for her outstanding research results in the area of lithium-ion batteries. She has analyzed how the microstructure of electrodes influences the efficiency of batteries. Dr. Wood developed for this purpose a new image analysis method, upon which she created a new low-cost technique that is compatible with current manufacturing processes. Through her work, the scientist has decisively contributed to further improve the efficiency of lithium-ion batteries.
The award ceremony took place at Stanford University in California. The award was presented by Dr. Kurt Bock, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE, and Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, to Dr. Wood.
The Science Award Electrochemistry (www.science-award.com) was initiated by BASF and Volkswagen in 2012. It is presented annually and targets outstanding scientists in the global academic research community. The aim is to foster exceptional scientific and engineering achievements in electrochemistry and to provide an incentive for the development of high-performance energy stores. The prize money overall amounts to €50,000, €25,000 of which is awarded to the first place winner.
“Batteries are small power plants that convert chemical energy into electrical energy. That is why better batteries need innovations based on chemistry,” said Dr. Kurt Bock, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE. “An optimal interaction between the anode, cathode, separator and electrolyte is crucial for a cell’s performance – something our researchers are working on intensively. As the leading chemical industry supplier to the automotive industry, we also want to be at the forefront of electromobility.”
“The Volkswagen Group intends to take e-mobility out of its niche position and make it attractive for as many customers as possible. The key to this is further advances in electrochemistry. We need battery technologies that permit greater energy density, less weight and lower costs. Along this road Volkswagen ultimately relies on close collaboration with the academic community. Against this background it is my great pleasure to present the Science Award Electrochemistry 2014 to Dr. Wood, an aspiring and promising researcher,” said Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, at the awards ceremony in Stanford.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150 years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the world’s leading chemical company, we combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of about €74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.
About Volkswagen
The Volkswagen Group with its headquarters in Wolfsburg is one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers and the largest carmaker in Europe. In 2013, the Group increased the number of vehicles delivered to customers to 9.731 million (2012: 9.276 million), corresponding to a 12.8 percent share of the world passenger car market. The Group comprises twelve brands from seven European countries: Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania and MAN. Each brand has its own character and operates as an independent entity on the market. The product spectrum ranges from motorcycles to low-consumption small cars and luxury vehicles. In the commercial vehicle sector, the products include ranges from pick-ups, buses and heavy trucks.
The Group operates 107 production plants in 19 European countries and a further eight countries in the Americas, Asia and Africa. Every weekday, 572,800 employees worldwide produce some 39,350 vehicles, and work in vehicle-related services or other fields of business. The Volkswagen Group sells its vehicles in 153 countries. The Group’s goal is to offer attractive, safe and environmentally sound vehicles which can compete in an increasingly tough market and set world standards in their respective class.