MILWAUKEE, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin-based Johnson Controls will be part of a $120 million federal project to develop smaller, cheaper and more powerful batteries.

The batteries are needed for the next generation of fuel-saving cars, both electric and hybrid.

The project will be based at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois. The funding will cover five years of work at the newly-created Joint Center for Energy Storage Research.

The University of Michigan is also participating, making this a major Midwest project. At least initially, the research effort isn’t expected to bring on a major expansion or worker addition at Johnson Controls.