Delphi-Manufactured Batteries Help Vehicle Win Sunrayce 99

7 September 1999
Delphi-Manufactured Batteries Help Vehicle Win Sunrayce 99
    FLINT, Mich., Sept. 7 -- In the Sunrayce 99 solar vehicle
competition held this summer, 10 of 29 college and university teams who
finished the race, including the winning team, used absorbent-glass-mat
technology lead-acid batteries manufactured by Delphi Automotive Systems
.
    The winning squad from the University of Missouri-Rolla and its vehicle,
the Solar Miner II, defeated its nearest competitor, Queens University of
Kingston (Ontario), by 47 minutes in a cloudy and rain-saturated nine-day
event.  With minimal sun to power the cars, battery energy management became
the most important factor.  The Solar Miner II team used a Delphi-manufactured
absorbent-glass-mat technology lead-acid battery, which helped them win the
competition.
    "We are pleased to be a supplier to the Sunrayce and congratulate the
University of Missouri-Rolla, who utilized our technology to perform at a
world-class level," said Ronald M. Pogue, director of battery business for
Delphi.  "Delphi will be launching a new line of automotive batteries later
this year with the same absorbent-glass-mat lead-acid technology that helped
win the Sunrayce.  We believe this new battery technology provides great
potential for the automotive market because the battery is spill-free, has
improved vibration resistance and will last about twice as long as today's
lead-acid batteries."
    Very few teams completed the daily routes, and of the 50 teams that
attempted to enter Sunrayce 99, only 29 teams completed the Washington, D.C.
to Orlando, Fla., event.  Battery technologies available for teams in this
year's Sunrayce were lead-acid, nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal-hydride.
    Other teams that crossed the finish line using Delphi-manufactured
batteries were Iowa State University, Kansas State University, The Ohio State
University, Yale University, the University of Arizona, the South Dakota
School of Mines and Technology, Principia College, the United States Military
Academy, and a joint team of Minnesota State University at Mankato and Winona
State University.
    Delphi produces batteries for passenger cars, light trucks, motorcycles
and marine applications, as well as for on- and off-highway medium- and heavy-
duty equipment.
    Delphi Automotive Systems, with headquarters in Troy, Mich., USA, is a
world leader in automotive component and systems technology.  Delphi's three
business sectors -- Dynamics & Propulsion; Safety, Thermal & Electrical
Architecture; and Electronics & Mobile Communications -- provide comprehensive
product solutions to complex customer needs.  Delphi has approximately 201,000
employees and operates 168 wholly owned
manufacturing sites, 38 joint ventures, 51 customer centers and sales offices,
and 27 technical centers in 37 countries.  Regional headquarters are located
in Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo.  Delphi can be found on the Internet at
http://www.delphiauto.com .