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To: Allen Bucholski who wrote (3178)	2/11/1999 12:46:00 PM
From: Ray	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8393

Amen, Allen. It is very good advice to closely follow the developments in competing batteries. Here is some more about the exploding Kodak batteries. I posted the Kodak battery article on both the SI VLNC and Yahoo VLNC boards to see what those folks had to say. Here are two messages from Yahoo. The development of Manganese Oxide based electrodes is claimed by VLNC to be a major advance - there are a number of advantages in addition to the enhanced safety. I do not know if there is a conflict between the VLNC work and the Manganese Oxide technology discussed in the article just posted by you, Allen. I think VLNC has patents on their MO developments. Universal dangers of batteries overheating by: flatbatt (45/M) 9065 of 9069 Our best guess would be that the battery was allowed to get too hot. Usually this is a result of charging to fast. Remember the laptops with lithium-ion liquid electrolyte batteries that had this problem? That's why the extreme caution when engineering safety features. Now take heed of the fact that lithium polymer cobalt batteries (the choice of most of Valence's competitors, apart from ULBI and maybe Moli Energy) are very temperature sensitive. Their charging circuitry must carefully maintain their operation within a restricted temperature range. But the Valence battery, comprised of manganese instead of cobalt, is much less temperature sensitive. The reasonable expectation is that the Valence battery will have the best safety margin of anything out there. What remains is the final step of defining the 'safety envelope' that the charging circuitry maintains operation within. This is what the UL approval process ensures, among other things. Important? You bet it is, as your post indicates. Kodak problem was one where by: hopyard 9066 of 9069 the adapter socket could fail and allow charging of Alkaline batteries, a definite no-no.

To: Allen Bucholski who wrote (3178)	2/18/1999 10:00:00 AM
From: Ray	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8393

With regard to the important process of keeping informed of the competition, here is a news release. As I have been saying, LiPoly batteries are going to be important. How long it will be before they substantially effect NiMH sales is open to question, but I believe in this eventuality. I certainly think that NiMH sales will increase for some time, despite the new competition. News Release: Valence Technology Awarded Patent for Next-Generation Class of Cathodes HENDERSON, Nev., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Valence Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: VLNC), a research and development company developing advanced, rechargeable, lithium polymer battery technology for commercialization, has received notice from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office of the issuance of patent No. 5,871,866 covering an entirely new class of cathode materials developed by Valence. The patented materials are intended for use in the company's rechargeable lithium polymer batteries, but can also be used within rechargeable liquid lithium ion battery systems currently available. "Valence's now-patented lithium-containing phosphate materials represent a significant advance in lithium ion battery technology," said Jerry Barker, Ph.D., director of materials research for Valence. "The materials should cycle better, providing a longer life between charges, and be as safe or safer than any cathode material currently available today." The patented materials are composed of novel lithium-containing phosphates developed by Valence, in contrast to the cathodes in rechargeable lithium ion batteries currently available which are composed of lithiated metal oxide compounds. While testing and scale-up operations have yet to be completed, Valence anticipates that the new materials will provide significant advantages in terms of both performance and safety versus today's materials. The company anticipates that the new materials will potentially increase the specific capacity or energy of the cathode by up to 60%, which implies a longer life between charges, at a lower cost than today's materials. Because the patented materials are believed not to react with electrolyte, they are also expected to provide improved battery performance in terms of the number of times the battery could be recharged. Valence anticipates that the materials will not release structural oxygen under typical abuse conditions and will therefore be less reactive than cathode materials currently in use, which should constitute a significant safety advantage. "The issuance of this patent is a real milestone for Valence that demonstrates our pioneering position in the field of battery technology," said Lev Dawson, Valence's chairman, chief executive officer and president. "We expect that the patented material should be in sample batteries this year, with no impact on Valence's efforts to commercialize batteries using currently available cathode materials." The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. In particular, the establishment, development and potential success of product development and production outcomes are subject to risks and uncertainties both within and outside Valence's control. These risk factors are described from time to time in Valence's SEC reports, including on Form 10-K for the year ended March 29, 1998, to which readers are referred. Valence Technology is engaged in the research and development of advanced rechargeable batteries based on lithium polymer technologies. The company is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol VLNC. Valence can be found on the Internet at valence-tech.com. SOURCE Valence Technology, Inc.