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Ovonic Battery Co.'s NiMH Batteries Power Winning EVs at the AmericanTour de Sol Competition

June 05, 2000 by Jeff Shepard

Energy Conversion Devices Inc. (Troy, MI), announced that Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries developed by its subsidiary, Ovonic Battery Company Inc., powered several EVs and HEVs to victory at the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's American Tour de Sol competition, May 12 to 19, 2000. A General Motors EV1, equipped with NiMH batteries produced by GM Ovonic L.L.C., the joint manufacturing venture between GM and Ovonic Battery, achieved a range of 225 miles on a single charge. For the seventh consecutive year, a vehicle powered with Ovonic NiMH batteries exceeded the 200-mile range on a single charge - the first time this has been achieved with a production-specific design vehicle. The EV1 was the overall winner in the EV category. In the one-person category, a two-wheel electric scooter, modified by Ovonic Battery and powered with Ovonic NiMH batteries, achieved a range of 73 miles with an efficiency equivalent of more than 300 miles per gallon of gasoline. The Ovonic scooter was the overall first place winner among the one-person vehicle entries. Introduced to the public just a few weeks ago, 10 production Honda Insight HEVs were entered by their owners. The Insight cars had an average fuel economy of 75 miles per gallon, with the winner achieving 90 miles per gallon. Commenting on this year's winning performances, CEO of ECD and Ovonic Battery Stanford R. Ovshinsky said, "These impressive performances in both EVs and HEVs demonstrate the versatility of Ovonic NiMH batteries with their superior energy density (range) and high power (acceleration). We are pleased that so many competitors and original equipment manufacturers are selecting Ovonic NiMH batteries for both EV and HEV applications."