Ballard Power Systems Inc. (Vancouver, BC) Electric Drives and Power Conversion Division has signed a joint development agreement with Ford Power Products (FPP), a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, MI), to jointly develop commercial power generation products driven by spark-ignited combustion engines for the generator market. Other opportunities exist for on-road hybrid applications, such […]
Maxwell Technologies Inc. (San Diego, CA) introduced its new PC5-5 ultracapacitor, which measures only 17mm x 23mm x 9.5mm and stores 23J...
Tyco International Ltd. (Pembroke, Bermuda) reported that a federal court has dismissed shareholder charges of improper disclosure and accounting practices. The company announced that the US District Court in New Hampshire found the plaintiffs "had fallen well short of stating a viable securities fraud claim." The suit had consolidated 38 class-action suits filed in various […]
Enron Corp. (Houston, TX) announced that it has agreed to sell its Enron Wind Corp. (Tehachapi, CA) wind turbine business to General Electric Co. (Fairfield, CT). Financial terms were not disclosed, but sources state that General Electric will pay about $250.0 million. The sale must be approved by a bankruptcy court judge and regulators. Proceeds […]
UTC Fuel Cells (South Windsor, CT), a unit of United Technologies Corp. (Hartford, CT), announced that it has signed agreements with Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (Japan) to develop fuel cells and fuel cell components for vehicles. Renault SA (France), Nissan's alliance partner, is also participating in the development projects. UTC Fuel Cells will provide fuel […]
Valence Technology Inc. (Austin, TX) recently announced its new Saphion technology for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, which replaces the more expensive and less stable cobalt in traditional lithium-ion batteries with a natural, phosphate-based cathode material. The new technology is claimed to make batteries cheaper, more stable and more environmentally friendly. Valence Vice President and General Manager […]
Tyco Electronics Power Components (Menlo Park, CA) Raychem Circuit Protection Division announced its new nanoSMDM Series of PolySwitch devices, which are now available in a lead-free design. Simplifying migration to lead-free manufacturing and assembly, the devices can be installed with both leaded and lead-free solders. The small form factor of the nanoSMDM devices gives engineers […]
UCAR International Inc. (Wilmington, DE) announced that it has completed its $400.0 million private offering of senior notes, due 2012. The deal was upsized from $250.0 million. The senior notes have an annual coupon rate of 10.25 percent. The issue price of the senior notes is 100 percent of the principal amount plus accrued interest, […]
Energy Conversion Devices Inc. (ECD, Rochester Hills, MI) announced that the US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a new $750,000 cost-shared grant to Sovlux Battery, ECD's US-Russian joint venture with the Chepetsky Mechanical Plant in Glazov, Russia, and the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy for the further development of ECD's proprietary metal-hydride technology to […]
SatCon Technology Corp. (Cambridge, MA) announced that it has appointed Jeffrey Postlethwait as vice president and general manager of SatCon's Semiconductor Products business unit. Postlethwait joins SatCon from Micro Networks Corp. (Worcester, MA). "We're looking forward to Jeff managing our Semiconductor Products business unit," said David Eisenhaure, SatCon's president and CEO. "He has an extensive […]
Exide Technologies (Princeton, NJ) announced that its common stock will be de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange, with the last full day of trading expected on Thursday, February 14, 2002. On Friday, February 15, the company expects its shares to be quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board. The company said that it will notify […]
Volkswagen AG (Auburn Hills, MI) announced that it completed the first long-range test drive of its HY.POWER fuel cell vehicle. The car was driven over the Simplon Pass, which connects Switzerland and Italy, during a period of below-freezing temperatures. The HY.POWER prototype obtains its energy from on-board hydrogen to create a hydrogen fuel cell.
XFUEL Corp. (La Jolla, CA) introduced a commercially available advanced high-density aluminum-oxygen fuel cell ready to be installed in power stations, telecom applications as well as any industrial, commercial and automotive applications. The XFUEL system can be disposed of in the same manner as beverage cans, and the ph 7 electrolytes can be disposed of […]
Electrofuel Inc. (Toronto, Canada) announced that its revolutionary lithium-ion SuperPolymer technology has broken through the 200Wh/kg specific energy density barrier to reach the 213Wh/kg mark. The cells use standard graphite and lithium-cobalt-oxide electrode materials. Sankar Das Gupta, president and CEO of Electrofuel, stated, "This breakthrough in technology supports the vision of Electrovaya being at the […]
Nissan Motor Co. (Japan) announced that it intends to launch its first fuel cell car by the end of 2005, unveiling its "Nissan Green Program 2005." The strategy calls for Nissan to participate in a government-backed initiative to test fuel cell vehicles on Japanese roads later this year. The program also calls for 80 percent […]