Quallion LLC received a $511,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a lightweight battery with built-in safety features for use in electrical vehicles, it was announced Wednesday. The Sylmar company was among 22 businesses and universities to receive funding for the Robust Affordable Next Generation EV-Storage program. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada-Flintridge and UCLA also received the federal funding. Quallion will develop a lithium-ion battery with safety features that can prevent overheating, isolate damage, and reduce the need for additional shielding and packaging. Overheating lithium-ion batteries caused fires in Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner, prompting the fleet to be temporarily grounded in the spring. The RANGE program seeks to improve electric-vehicle driving range and reduce costs with better battery systems and energy storage. Quallion is a privately held company co-founded by technology innovator Alfred Mann that has operations in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.