LANSING – Michigan-based companies will get $1.3 billion in federal research and development grants for the development of new batteries used in motor vehicles, and officials hoped the grants could mean as many as 40,000 jobs in the economically strapped state in the next 11 years.

Vice President Joe Biden, joined by Gov. Jennifer Granholm and others, announced the grants at a ceremony in downtown Detroit. The $1.3 billion in funding is well more than half the $2.4 billion the federal government set aside for the research and development grants.

And in a speech on the economy in Indiana (which got the second largest number of the grants) President Barack Obama said the development grants would help develop the “infrastructure of innovation” in the nation.

Michigan officials had hoped that the state would get a large share of the battery development grants and had aggressively helped get state aid established to locate advanced battery companies. Wednesday’s announcement was a vindication of those efforts, they said.

“We were hoping we would get at least two of the designations,” Granholm told reporters. “Anything more would be manna from heaven.”

In sum, state corporations and universities netted 15 of the awards.

The largest single award was for $299 million for Johnson Controls for the production of nickel-cobalt-metal battery cells and packs.

The other awards were:

$249.1 million for A123 Systems for manufacturing nano-iron phosphate cathode powered electrode coatings.

$151.4 million for Compact Power for production of lithium-ion polymer battery cells.

$105.9 million to General Motors for production of high-volume battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt. In addition, GM will get another $105 million for construction of manufacturing capabilities to produce a new rear-wheel electric drive system and another $30.5 million to develop, analyze and demonstrate up to 5,000 Volt extended range vehicles.

$161 million to KD ABG for production of manganese oxide cathode/graphite lithium-ion batteries.

$62.7 million to Ford Motor Company for production of an electric-drive transaxle, plus another grant of $30 million to accelerate the launch and commercializing electric vehicles.

$70 million to Chrysler LLC to develop and deploy 220 advanced plug-in hybrid electric pickups.

$45.4 million to South Coast Air Quality to develop a fully integrated production plug-in hybrid system for heavy vehicles and demonstrate a fleet of 378 trucks.

$40 million to Magna E-Car Systems to increase production of advanced automotive electric-drive systems.

$2.5 million to the University of Michigan, $2.98 million to Michigan Technological University and $5 million to Wayne State University for educational programs on battery research and development.

In a press release, Granholm said that the state took major efforts for several years toward becoming the leader in advanced battery manufacturing, and the announcements on Wednesday helped advance that effort.

Lt. Governor John Cherry said the grants will help the state transform its economy.

And U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Detroit) said the grants will help ensure the state will “kick-start a promising automotive future for Michigan.”

But Norm Shinkle, deputy Michigan Republican Party chair, said it will take more than grants for batteries to help restore the state’s economy, and that state government had to confront its current budget deficit.

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