Battery Engineering Announces Lithium Battery Systems for Wearable Power Sources.

CANTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 1998--Battery Engineering, Inc., the leading developer and manufacturer of specialized lithium power sources, has announced the availability of rechargeable lithium battery systems for wearable power sources. The new lithium power systems offer the high power needed for advanced industrial and military applications, yet are less than half the weight of their nickel metal hydride counterparts.

The demand for wearable power sources is growing steadily. Manufacturers are increasingly using wearable computers, for example, to improve inventory management by enabling portable bar code scanning. Likewise, new military applications -- such as Soldier Systems that might integrate wearable electronics for hands-free communications, sensing, and global positioning -- are emerging rapidly. All such applications are prompting the development of unobtrusive, lightweight power supplies.

"Tomorrow's soldiers will be carrying many pounds of electronics gear to improve their effectiveness and the last thing they need is unnecessary weight in their battery pack. Lithium technology can deliver the power that advancing military and industrial applications need, at about half the weight of alternative technologies and is thus the ideal wearable power source," says Ian Irving, vice president, Battery Engineering, Inc.

Battery Engineering is offering wearable power sources in both standard and customized sizes. Battery Engineering's standard offering for wearable systems is a flat, lithium ion polymer cell measuring 4-inch x 6-inches. It will fit conveniently into vest pockets and allow various voltage taps to be picked as needed. The cell offers 14 Ah of rechargeable capacity at 12 Volts. In custom configurations, battery size and voltage can be designed to customer specifications.

Based on Battery Engineering's proprietary lithium ion polymer technology, the cells can be recharged up to 500 times and discharged as high as the 2C rate. A single charge lasts about eight hours, making it ideal for example, to last a complete shift in an industrial application.

Battery Engineering is also developing a non-rechargeable battery that uses lithium thionyl chloride for primary pouch cells in wearable computing applications. Each cell can provide almost 30 Ah of capacity in the same wearable design. Like the non-rechargeable cells, rechargeable systems can also be custom-designed to meet specific application requirements. Non-rechargeable and rechargeable systems may be used interchangeably in the same application.

Battery Engineering, Inc. develops and manufactures specialized lithium batteries. Its core strength is in application and packaging of high energy, high-density lithium batteries, which it produces, in a wide variety of standard and custom configurations for demanding applications. A subsidiary of Hitachi Maxell Ltd., Battery Engineering is located in a new 32,000 square foot facility in Canton, Massachusetts. For more information visit the Battery Engineering web-site "www.batteryeng.com" or contact Sal Piazza, Battery Engineering, Inc., 100 Energy Drive, Canton, MA 02021. Telephone: [phone]/ Fax [phone]. Email:[e-mail]