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

To: John Curtis who wrote (2595)	4/6/1998 11:30:00 PM
From: Gordon Quickstad	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27311

I think it was you, John, who mentioned BLDPF when it was in the 70's. I looked at it but it seemed too rich... woulda, coulda, shoulda... Anyway, here is some commentary on LPB from the darnell.com group: by Linnea Brush Research Analyst -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Updated:April 6th, 1998 Next Update:April 20th, 1998 Guilt By Association: Lithium-Polymer Needs a New Name Anyone who peruses the Darnell Group web site regularly knows that we've always been concerned about the safety of lithium-ion batteries. In February, I focused on the potential problems with recharging "counterfeit" lithium-ion battery packs for notebook computers on airlines. Last week, the Wall Street Journal ran a story on this same issue, mentioning that certain battery manufacturers and groups were appealing to the FAA to look into the recharging problem. The Darnell Group has identified eight "incidents" involving lithium-ion batteries since 1990, approximately one per year. These often included preproduction batteries, and the major battery makers responded by increasing the levels of safety in their battery packs. However, the fire at the Matsushita supplier factory last year keeps the issue of lithium-ion safety in the minds of the public. Enter lithium-ion polymer cells. Lithium-polymer batteries, as they are commonly called, have gone through fits and starts getting to commercial production. The entire lithium polymer industry was born and funded in response to the safety concerns of the lithium-based chemistries. Three companies in particular - Ultralife Batteries, Lithium Technology Inc. (LTC) and Valence Technology Inc. - have focused specifically on developing this technology and bringing it to market. Ultralife has been very aggressive in educating people about the safety benefits of their "solid-state lithium-ion" battery, and Mitsubishi uses it in their super-thin Pedion notebook computer. Late last year, Ultralife had to deal with the criticisms that arose when one of their batteries "burned a dime-sized hole through the keyboard" of a preproduction Panther notebook. The two companies pointed out that the battery was not to blame for this incident - that it was a "malfunction of the engineering unit." But in people's minds, lithium of any sort is volatile and potentially dangerous. Perhaps Ultralife and the other Li-polymer battery manufacturers need to rethink how they market their batteries. The technology does appear to be much safer than the more common lithium-ion batteries, as well as the extremely volatile lithium-metal batteries. Ultralife's solid-state polymer battery has been subjected to numerous tests, including nail penetration tests, overcharging, and deliberate short-circuiting. The solid electrolyte used in the cell is nonvolatile, so it isn't subject to the same problems as most liquid electrolyte. But just telling the public how safe these batteries are isn't enough. As long as the word "lithium" comes anywhere near polymer batteries, people are going to think "flames." Perhaps the "L" in lithium-polymer should stand for "laminated-polymer" instead. Or maybe they should just be called "plastic" batteries. Get "lithium" out of the name, because it's always going to be associated with safety problems. Ultralife seems to be doing something like this already. They frequently refer to their batteries as "solid-state polymer batteries" or "solid-polymer" cells. But Lithium Technology recently announced an agreement with Centurion International Inc., under which "Centurion will integrate LTC's lithium-ion polymer cells into battery packs for an unnamed global PC manufacturer's specific notebook application." There's that word "lithium" again. And Valence Technology announced in February that "initial production of its rechargeable lithium polymer batteries will take place in its Henderson facility, rather than at its Northerm Ireland plant." Unless a person knows the difference, plain old lithium-ion batteries aren't going to seem that much different than lithium-ion polymer batteries. All three of these companies are aiming for large production volumes of polymer batteries this year or by early next year at the latest. Computer manufacturers will start including them in their lightweight notebooks. The question is: If there is an "incident" with a counterfeit lithium-ion battery on board an aircraft (or anywhere else, for that matter), will lithium-ion polymer batteries go down in flames with them? They shouldn't, since the technology is inherently safer. And the best way to ensure that doesn't happen is to start using a different term for polymer batteries. Even if lithium is part of the chemistry, get it out of the marketing campaigns. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We would like to hear your comments on the topics discussed in this column. Please email them to Linnea Brush at linnea@darnell.com We welcome the opportunity to publish opposing opinions. Please email Jeff Shepard at jshepard@darnell.com