Ballard Power Systems Inc. (Canada) announced that it has entered into an exclusive development, collaboration and long-term supply agreement for natural graphite-based materials and manufactured components with UCAR International Inc. (Nashville, TN). Ballard will also become a strategic investor in Graftech Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of UCAR. Ballard has agreed to invest $5.0 million […]
Exide Technologies (Princeton, NJ) reports that it has sold its lead-acid battery-recycling facility in Pont-Saint-Maxence, France, to a subsidiary of Eco-Bat Technologies plc (UK), owned by Quexco Inc. (Dallas, TX), for an undisclosed price. "The sale will allow Exide Technologies to consolidate our recycling efforts in Europe and concentrate production at our four facilities in […]
Zapworld.Com (ZAP, Sebastopol, CA) announced an agreement with Enable Fuel Cell Corp., the wholly owned subsidiary of DCH Technology Inc. (Valencia, CA), to develop an electric-assist bicycle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. According to the companies, the goal of the relationship will be the introduction of a commercially available fuel-cell-powered electric bicycle. The joint-development […]
ON Semiconductor (Phoenix, AZ) has introduced a new protection IC for one-cell lithium-ion and lithium-polymer battery packs. The new NCP800 offers internally trimmed precision charge and discharge voltage limits. In order to maintain cell operation within specified limits, the NCP800 senses cell voltage and discharge current, and correspondingly controls the state of two n-channel MOSFET […]
Proton Energy Systems Inc. (Rocky Hill, CT) announced plans to build a new 100,000-square-foot manufacturing, product development and research facility on 44 acres of land in the Medway Industrial Park in Wallingford, CT. The building will be designed and built by Casle Corp. (Avon, CT). The new facility will allow the company to consolidate all […]
IdaTech, a subsidiary of IdaCorp (Boise, ID), reports the issuance of its fourth fuel cell systems patent. The patent, number 6,221,117, is entitled "Hydrogen-Producing Fuel-Processing System." It contains 69 claims directed to IdaTech's fuel processors. The company believes that this patent could be crucial to commercialization of its fuel cell systems and components for electric […]
Fuel Cell Technologies (FCT, Canada) was recently awarded two Government of Canada contracts to further advance its work in solid-oxide fuel-cell (SOFC) power systems. The contracts total $440,000 and apply to both of FCT's strategic directions: the commercialization of its 5kW SOFC power system, and the advancement of SOFC technology through FCT's core science program. […]
Sanyo Energy Corp. (San Diego, CA) launched its newest rechargeable battery factory with a gala grand opening celebration hosting an international audience. The custom-built facility, called SIA Electronica de Baja California SA de CV Battery Monterrey, is located in the Nuevo Leon region at the 100th Meridian. Sanyo Electro Co. Ltd. Chairman Statoshi Iue welcomed […]
Plug Power Inc. (Latham, NY) announced that W. Mark Schmitz has been appointed vice president and CFO. Schmitz, who has a master's degree in business administration from Ohio State University, joins Plug Power from General Motors Corp. (Detroit, MI). As Plug Power's vice president and CFO, Schmitz's responsibilities will include management of the company's finance, […]
NESS Corp. (Korea) announced the formation of Ness Capacitor Co. Ltd. (NCC). A spin-off of NESS Corp., NCC will concentrate on the further research, development and commercialization of their family of capacitor products, including the ultracapacitor, pseudocapacitor and advanced aluminum electrolytic capacitor. "We are greatly encouraged by the progress of our capacitor technology thus far, […]
FuelCell Energy (Danbury, CT) reported revenues of $6.5 million for the second quarter ended April 30, 2001. This is up 32 percent from the company's revenues of $4.9 million in the same quarter of 2000. Net loss for the period was $5.1 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, compared with a net loss of $1.7 […]
Eagle-Picher Technologies LLC (EPT, Joplin, MO) announced that its battery technology was featured on NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, launched from Cape...
Chairman Victor Weiss of Cymbet Corp. (Elk River, MN) recently announced receipt of a $4.5 million private placement of equity securities from Merchant Venture Investments (Netherlands) and Millennium Materials Fund Two (Israel). Cymbet was cofounded by Mark Jenson and Genesis Business Centers as a development-stage company to develop a low-cost manufacturing process for advanced solid-state […]
Ballard Power Systems Inc. (Canada) announced that it has completed its acquisition of the carbon products business unit of Textron Systems (Wilmington, MA). The deal was closed for $12.8 million on May 25, 2001. The acquired business, now known as Ballard Material Products Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ballard Power Systems. Ballard's new […]
Fuel Cell Technologies Corp. (FCT, Canada) and Bluefin Robotics Corp. (Cambridge, MA) have announced an exclusive agreement for the worldwide sales and distribution of high-endurance autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to the oil and gas industry and the US Navy. These AUVs will be built by Bluefin and powered by FCT's aluminum-energy systems. "A Memorandum of […]