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Technology Stocks : VALENCE TECHNOLOGY (VLNC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rich Wolf who wrote (25048)	11/12/2001 12:26:51 AM
From: Rich Wolf	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 27311

Papers on hybrid EVs, technology and costing transportation.anl.gov Note the Delphi ('97) study (second to end) Delphi's own site still lists lithium-polymer ('LiPoTek') as their alternative battery of choice (dates are 1999,2000 however): delphiauto.com delphiauto.com The USCAR site has some specs for different battery req'ts: uscar.org Just some food for thought, looking beyond portable electronics. In 2003 Valence is free from the limitations of the original Delphi-Valence cross-licensing agreements, and can sell into the automotive market. The purchase of the original Bellcore patents upon which Delphi's work is based may have put Valence back in the driver's seat <g>, although since no products are expected to be commercially available prior to 2003, that is moot. In re consumer electronics, the soon-to-be-released Dell C300 (replacement for the Latitude line) which offers a separate lithium-polymer base battery, is a long-awaited product (I discount the after-market Electrofuel product, and the failed attempt by ULBI to use small cells for the Mitsubishi (?) laptop a few years ago). The volume will not be great, and many buyers of the C300 may not opt for the base, but if Valence or one of their licensees has the design win, it is a significant point. (It is perhaps more significant if the win goes to someone like Hitachi-Maxell, the only other group I'm aware of that has displayed large-format cells publicly.) We always thought the first lithium-polymer product would be a platform that had less risk for the laptop manufacturer, and this design fits the bill. Also, the availability of multiple battery suppliers (now possible due to licensing by Valence) was always thought to be requisite as well. My recent comments re: the automotive market were made because I do think lithium-polymer could play a huge role. The sheer volume of cells that would be made, just for 42 volt ISG systems, would result in enormous licensing revenue that would dwarf that from electronics applications (where there is too much competition from comparable liquid-electrolyte lithium-ion products, notwithstanding a possible transition to new cathode materials). Still, these are lean times, and most likely Valence will be going to the well for funding within a few Qs, no matter what design wins are announced within the next few Qs or year(s), as they wouldn't represent immediate revenue.