TECHNOLOGY COMPANY AWARDED $4.6 MILLION TO DEVELOP NEW CNG TANK

BlackPak, a private technology company, announced that the Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E) has awarded BlackPak a $4.6 million cooperative agreement for the development of its adsorbed natural gas fuel tank technology under ARPA-E’s Methane Opportunities for Vehicular Energy (MOVE) Program. The BlackPak effort leverages technology developed by and spun out from SRI International as part of a prior award under the MOVE program. BlackPak, together with its partners ATMI and SRI International, is developing adsorbed natural gas storage systems for automotive and commercial applications with a target system-level energy density greater than 6 MJ/L at 500 psi pressure. Based on advances in engineered nano-porous materials, the technology would enable natural gas to be stored in containers that come in a variety of shapes, sizes and configurations. Compared to today’s conventional high-pressure compressed natural gas cylinders, this will allow vehicle designers and equipment manufacturers the ability to integrate natural gas systems that conform to the available spaces in light duty vehicles while maintaining maximum functional utility in the form of usable trunk space.