Rosemead, California - Utility company Southern California Edison (SCE) has announced a “major milestone” in advanced battery performance, following testing of a lithium-ion battery that demonstrated an equivalent lifespan of more than 180,000 miles (289,682 km) in a commercial delivery van with minimal deterioration.

The battery, which was tested in a laboratory setting, uses a Johnson Control-Saft lithium-ion battery subpack that is one-sixth of the actual battery size used in a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The subpack has been tested continuously for two and a half years; testing continues to monitor the battery’s performance.

Based on the results, the U.S. Department of Energy has provided SCE with a full-size lithium-ion battery and has asked that it test and evaluate the battery’s viability for passenger car application.

SCE is conducting its battery tests in support of the Electric Power Research Institute’s evaluation of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The utility company’s technical centre also tests light-, medium- and heavy-duty plug-in prototype vehicles through its collaborative industry partnerships, such as with Ford.