Electrosource Inc. Launches the 'E-POWER,' a Lightweight Intelligent Battery
15 December 1999
Electrosource Inc. Launches the 'E-POWER,' a Lightweight Intelligent Battery
SAN MARCOS, Texas--Dec. 14, 1999--Electrosource Inc. ("the Company") announced today the launch of a new lightweight intelligent battery.The new battery will be sold under the marque "E-POWER" and uses patented Electrosource technology to make the battery 25% lighter than competitive products. E-POWER is the first "intelligent" sealed lead acid battery to include an embedded microchip, which continuously monitors the battery and alerts the user to damaging overcharge or undercharge conditions.
The battery sets a new standard for price, weight and performance for a wide range of applications from industrial equipment to electric and hybrid electric vehicles. The E-POWER battery has a specific energy of 39.5Wh/kg, at five-hour rating and a specific power of 400W/kg. This 12-Volt 27 Ampere hour (5-hour) battery weighs just 18 pounds (8.2kg).
The patented HORIZON(R) and C2M(R) technologies in E-POWER give the battery an exceptionally low internal resistance. Like other Electrosource batteries based on these technologies, E-POWER can be deep cycled and rapidly charged without excessive heating. This makes the new battery ideal for electric and hybrid electric vehicles where traditional-battery cost, weight and slow charging have been factors which inhibit mass production of electric vehicles. Similar but larger Electrosource batteries are powering several hybrid electric buses in New York City.
Electrosource CEO Benny Jay, said, "The E-POWER battery uses proven chemistry to bring light weight, power and intelligence to a spectrum of applications. E-POWER is targeted at vehicle engine starting, cordless lawnmowers and electric vehicles; in fact, any application which requires portable power in a small, compact package.
"The E-POWER battery is equally suited for static applications such as emergency lighting, uninterruptible power supplies and telecommunications where the intelligent microchip increases the reliability of the system. The E-POWER battery is the only deep-cycle battery available today which can crank a large V8 engine, yet can be held in the palm of one hand."
The world market for batteries of this type is in excess of 150 million units per year encompassing automotive, industrial and leisure markets. E-POWER has been specified by Frazer-Nash Research Limited as the battery for all of the electric vehicles to be supplied to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Frazer-Nash is the exclusive supplier of electric vehicles to the Olympic Games.
Additional information on E-POWER will be posted on the Company's Web site in January 2000.
Electrosource, headquartered in San Marcos, Texas, designs, manufactures and markets proprietary advanced energy storage technologies and systems. Additional information about the Company is located on the Internet at www.electrosource.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this release. Risks include financial risks, development risks, manufacturing risks, uncertainty of market acceptance, delay in shipment or cancellation of orders, customer reorganization, as well as other risks that are detailed from time to time in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
EDITOR'S NOTE: In the word "C2M(R)" above, the "2" is a superscript. It was changed for transmission purposes only.