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Valence Technology and EnergyCS Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle Wins Awards at Tour de SolAUSTIN, Texas --(Business Wire)-- May 19, 2005 -- A concept plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) developed by EnergyCS and Valence Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:VLNC) has won the hybrid category in the Tour de Sol's Monte Carlo-style Rally, which ended May 14. Valence is a leader in the development and commercialization of Saphion(R) technology, the only safe, large-format Lithium-ion rechargeable battery technology. Powered by Valence Technology's U-Charge(TM) Power System, the PHEV is a fully functional concept car based on a 2004 Toyota Prius. Modifications made by EnergyCS included incorporation of Valence's Saphion Lithium-ion battery technology in order to allow more zero-emission driving and better gas mileage. In the Tour de Sol Monte Carlo-style Rally, in which there were 41 entrants, the vehicle won first place in the modified hybrid-vehicle category for fuel-efficiency and performance. On a 150-mile run, the EnergyCS-Valence PHEV achieved 102 miles per gallon (MPG) and used only nine kilowatt-hours of electricity to charge the Saphion lithium-ion batteries, which cost less than $1.00 to recharge. (For a commute of 50-60 miles between battery charges, the PHEV averages 125 or more MPG.) The EnergyCS-Valence PHEV also won the Innovative Technology award in the Tour de Sol Championship for demonstrating a hybrid-vehicle architecture that can enable vehicles to reduce oil consumption and climate change emissions by replacing gasoline with clean, renewably produced electricity for its motive power. About Tour de Sol The Tour de Sol Monte Carlo-style Rally is open to hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicle owners to compete for special prizes. The Tour de Sol Championship is for concept vehicles built by students, entrepreneurs and corporations that are working towards zero oil and carbon-emission vehicles. The Tour de Sol event is organized by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), the nation's leading regional education and advocacy association that aims to accelerate the deployment and use of renewable energy, green buildings, and energy efficiency in everyday life. NESEA produces major sustainable energy events that inspire and motivate large numbers of people to get involved and make a difference. For more information visit online www.TourdeSol.org or call 413-774-6051. About Valence Technology Valence batteries are based on its proprietary Saphion technology, which replaces toxic heavy metals with phosphates, creating a battery that is chemically more stable and safer than traditional oxide-based batteries. Valence batteries are not only environmentally friendly, but require virtually no maintenance and offer long life and low overall ownership costs. Valence Technology is a leader in the development and commercialization of Saphion(R) technology, the only safe, large-format Lithium-ion rechargeable battery technology. Valence holds an extensive, worldwide portfolio of issued and pending patents relating to its Saphion technology and Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. The company has facilities in Austin, Texas, Henderson, Nevada and Suzhou and Shanghai, China. Valence is traded on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market under the symbol VLNC and can be found on the Internet at www.valence.com. About EnergyCS Energy Control Systems Engineering (EnergyCS) is a privately held company based in Monrovia, California. It provides leading edge consulting, design and prototyping services for system integration, management and monitoring of electrochemical energy systems such as batteries and fuel cells. The company is focused on and particularly interested in applications in the areas of EV and HEV transportation and alternative energy on systems from 24 to 1000 VDC. www.energycs.com In order to make the benefits of PHEV technology more widely accessible, EnergyCS has partnered with Clean-Tech LLC to form EDrive Systems, LLC. The new company will commercialize EnergyCS' PHEV conversion kits using Valence Saphion batteries and make plug-in retrofits available to consumers in early 2006. Clean-Tech specializes in developing advanced alternate fuel retrofits for vehicles and will be the integrator for the EDrive technology. For more information, send an e-mail to [email protected]. |
