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Technology Stocks : Vanteck (vrb-cdnx, vttcf)

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From: thaidiamond	6/11/2008 10:44:47 PM
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Major Development Flying Under the Radar? There's a part from VRB's 2007 Annual Rpt that I haven't seen much discussion about and I believe may be a major development in the eventual commercialization of the VRB-ESS. With regards to stack development, they reported that an injection molded frame was developed...at 1/10 the cost of the previous machined PVC frames...and get this...resulting in a 50% overall cost reduction. Apparently they eliminated all sub-assembly steps and have gone to a single final assembly operation that reduces labor and floor space requirements. They're also reporting that they've gone to a more modular system andwill build up big stacks by using 5kW "unit cells" allowing for even greater economies of scale. And by implication, they can build batteries faster... To my way of thinking, anytime a manufacturer can reduce costs so significantly, it's a HUGE development. The other major cost is one of these batteries is the vanadium itself -- some 40% of the total price. But as J. Hykawy has pointed out, a buyer can recover that cost as the vanadium can be resold at the battery's eventual end of life. That's got to be a major selling point. What other battery allows the buyer to recapture such a significant share of the purchase price? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but don't telcoms have to pay to have their traditional lead acid batteries deposed? Doesn't this afford VRB new strategic options? They can lower their price points in an effort to penetrate a new technology into conservative markets. Or they can continue to sell at today's price and increase product margins. Hopefully, they will do some combination of the above with the emphasis on lower prices. Gaining sales and market acceptance is critical task numero uno. Any thought on all this?

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