The bike's six lithiumphosphate batteries take three hours to charge and are rated for 35, 000 miles before going to wherever heavy metals go when they die.
The company was founded by entrepreneurs in 2001 to make lithium ion phosphate batteries and attracted private investment from the likes of Sequoia Capital and GE.
Nanophosphate EXT is based on A123's proprietary lithium iron phosphate battery technology, which offers high power, long cycle life, increased usable energy and excellent safety as compared to other available battery technologies.
The contract will fund development of a lower-cost lithium-ion phosphate battery technology with enhanced power, lifetime and durability for hybrid-electric vehicle applications.