Firefly Energy Powers Into Truck Battery Market

PEORIA, Ill.--Firefly Energy Inc. (www.fireflyenergy.com), the Peoria, Illinois-based company developing innovative technologies for commercial and military lead acid battery markets, announced today that it is expanding into the trucking market with the commencement of a BCI Group 31 battery development program. Battery Council International (BCI) provides standardized definitions for physical dimensions of a wide variety of batteries, and the Group 31 size battery is a broadly-deployed battery type in trucks. The company said the Firefly Group 31 battery will be initially available next summer with full production scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2008.

Firefly Energy’s development program comes several months before landmark trucking-related regulations take effect in the State of California. On January 1, 2008, diesel trucks operating in California face a five-minute idling limit. Traditional batteries will now be challenged by the severe strain of trying to support a trucker’s various “hotel loads” (air conditioning, TVs, etc.) which were previously powered by diesel engine idling. The result will be premature battery failure since traditional lead acid batteries cannot easily withstand repeated deep discharging.

“Truckers historically have bought batteries based on cold-cranking ratings and price,” said Edward F. Williams, chief executive officer. “The game is now changing, and battery performance will become much more important in its contribution to trucker safety, comfort, and productivity. This calls for game-changing battery technology, which is why we are very excited to optimize our carbon-graphite foam lead acid battery technology for the needs of truckers,” Williams concluded. Today’s announcement comes closely on the heels of last week’s announcement whereby Firefly was honored by being named a co-winner of The Wall Street Journal’s 2007 Technology Innovation Award in the energy category.

The California Air Resources Board’s anti-idling rule is part of a wave of restrictions being introduced across the nation to help reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, toxics and pollutants. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that with a half million long-haul trucks now operating nationwide, wasteful engine idling may consume as much as 840 million gallons of diesel fuel annually.

Firefly Energy would not disclose the name of its new battery. However, the company said the battery will have a sealed valve-regulated design. The primary characteristic of the first Firefly Energy lead acid battery is the inclusion of a high surface area, non-corrodible and light weight carbon-graphite foam material. Firefly Energy’s 3D carbon-graphite foam unleashes the high power potential of lead acid chemistry which was impossible to achieve in the past. This technology not only reduces the lead content making the batteries smaller and lighter, but additionally enables faster, deeper and more reliable discharges and recharges. This significantly extends the battery’s life, makes it more environmentally friendly, and less expensive than lithium and nickel battery chemistries.

The Group 31 battery is similar to a battery Firefly Energy is developing for the U.S. Army to give combat vehicles enough on-board electrical storage to power equipment without significantly decreasing battery life.

Mil Ovan, senior vice president and co-founder of Firefly Energy, said “Conventional deep-cycle lead acid batteries used in truck starting show sizeable performance drop-off after some 200 deep discharge cycles.”

He noted the Firefly Energy battery will deliver greater reliability and longer service life because it is capable of achieving more than triple the deep cycles while still maintaining over 90 percent of its initial capacity.

“In trucking, this means our battery can be expected to last three to five times longer than the best performing valve regulated lead acid batteries.”

He added that with the new anti-idling laws, “Drivers using our battery can keep cool during sleep periods without having to idle their engines. Substantial reductions in rest-stop engine idling and diesel fuel use by heavy trucks are achievable because our battery powers accessories like air conditioners, TVs, VCRs, computers and refrigerators with 50 percent more run-time than top competitors.”

The company’s 3D battery will be valuable in trucking because it offers continuous power through the discharge process, a fast recharge to 100 percent capacity, excellent vibration resistance and greater cold-starting capabilities.

Typical battery life is extended since sulfation is reduced. When tested in cold weather extremes at minus 20°C, the batteries were capable of delivering above 65 percent of their rated “room temperature” capacity compared to 20 percent or less for standard Group 31 batteries. This can help minimize alternator damage incurred while attempting cold-weather engine starts when batteries are low.

Additional characteristics of the Firefly Energy battery include:

Energy Density – Because the Firefly design utilizes an efficient high-surface area foam, more of the available chemistry can be engaged, leading to greater efficiencies in weight and size.

Heat dissipation – Batteries with carbon-graphite foam electrodes instead of heavy lead plates are able to transfer heat out of the battery as rapidly as it is generated. Operating heat of the battery is lower, is also generated more uniformly, and is dissipated more rapidly, resulting in longer battery life in many applications.

Vibration resistance – The low mass of Firefly’s 3D cells along with the better retention of the chemistry within the pores of the foam help make its batteries more resistant to vibration.

About Firefly Energy, Inc.

Firefly Energy (www.fireflyenergy.com) is a Peoria, Illinois-based battery technology company developing a portfolio of next generation lead acid battery technologies, enhancing lead acid battery performance for major portions of the $30 billion worldwide battery marketplace. Firefly’s first innovation, the carbon-graphite foam-based battery technology, can deliver a unique combination of high performance, extremely low weight and low cost, all in a battery which utilizes the best aspects of lead acid chemistry while overcoming the corrosive drawbacks of this same chemistry. This product technology delivers to battery markets a performance associated with advanced battery chemistries (Nickel Metal Hydride and Lithium), but for one-fifth the cost, and can be both manufactured as well as recycled within the existing lead acid battery industry’s vast infrastructure. The company is backed by multi-billion dollar product companies such as Caterpillar (www.caterpillar.com NYSE:CAT), BAE Systems (www.baesystems.com London Stock Exchange over the counter symbol:BAESY), and Husqvarna (www.husqvarna.com Other OTC:HSQVY.PK). Additional investors include Chicago-area Venture Capital firm KB Partners (www.kbpartners.com), and the State of Illinois’ Illinois Finance Authority,