Organization Committed to Extending its Technology Leadership
A123 Systems LLC, a developer and manufacturer of advanced lithium-ion batteries and systems, has announced on 19 August that Dr. Patrick Hurley has joined the company as its new Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Hurley has also assumed leadership responsibility for A123 Venture Technologies, which is the company’s research and development unit focused on a collaborative business model for innovation in Lithium-ion battery technology. He brings to A123 both academic and industry experience in transportation applications of advanced batteries.
Dr. Hurley earned his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Purdue University and completed several years of post-doctoral research at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) in the beginning of his career. While at CalTech he focused on multiple cleantech innovations including projects on energy storage materials. Dr. Hurley’s subsequent industry experience has included technology leadership roles at Air Products and Chemicals and most recently Johnson Controls, where he was Executive Director of Global Core Engineering in the Power Solutions division.
During his time at Johnson Controls, Dr. Hurley developed a solid network of relationships with academia and government research organizations and his role as the industrial liaison for the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research helped him to form collaborative relationships with the U.S. Department of Energy. As A123 builds upon its R&D foundation in Waltham, Massachusetts under Dr. Hurley’s leadership, the company will continue to strengthen its standing as one of the industry’s most accomplished researchers of battery technology.
In addition, Dr. Hurley will have responsibility to integrate and lead the company’s battery development activities located in Hangzhou, China. The development organization in China was originally part of the Wanxiang Group battery investments prior to its acquisition of A123 Systems in early 2013. Prior announcements have highlighted that the engineering teams and production facilities located in Hangzhou have come under the leadership of A123 Systems and appointing Dr. Hurley to lead the technical integration is another step in that process. Through this initiative A123 is also further expanding the battery chemistry alternatives in its global portfolio by complementing the established Nanophosphate® product family.
“We’re excited about our ability to add considerable technical depth to the leadership team at A123. Patrick’s experience and relationships in the market, including the low voltage sector, will serve the company well as we accelerate our development of a more diverse technology portfolio” said Jason Forcier, CEO of A123 Systems. “We are investing for our future by recruiting the leadership talent we need to grow our global business.”
