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Stimulus Big Winner: Battery Manufacturing
The Congressional stimulus bill could help create a new, advanced battery industry in the United States.
By Kevin Bullis
Provisions in the Congressional stimulus bill could help jump-start a new, multibillion-dollar industry in the United States for manufacturing advanced batteries for hybrids and electric vehicles and for storing energy from the electrical grid to enable the widespread use of renewable energy. The nearly $790 billion economic stimulus legislation contains tens of billions of dollars in loans, grants, and tax incentives for advanced battery research and manufacturing, as well as incentives for plug-in hybrids and improvements to the electrical grid, which could help create a market for these batteries.
Significant advances in battery materials, including the development of new lithium-ion batteries, have been made in the United States in the past few years. But advanced battery manufacturing is almost entirely overseas, particularly in Asia. As a result, advanced battery startups in the United States typically have their batteries made outside the United States. But this need not be the case, says Prabhakar Patil, the CEO of Compact Power, a subsidiary of the South Korean company LG Chem, based in Troy, MI. Battery manufacturing is largely automated, so labor costs aren't much of a concern, he says. Rather, the battery industry developed in Asia because countries there, particularly Japan, developed portable electronics and hybrid vehicles, creating a market for batteries.
Now, with the push to rely more on renewable energy and less on fossil fuels, a market for advanced batteries is starting to develop in the United States. This, combined with incentive for manufacturers in the United States, could allow an advanced battery industry to develop in this country. But many experts say that serious obstacles remain to getting the industry off the ground. Investors are reluctant to provide capital for battery plants because the markets are still relatively small. And the markets are still small in part because batteries are expensive, which is itself partly because they're currently made in low volumes.
The stimulus bill could help address both problems. It sets aside $2 billion in grants for manufacturing advanced batteries, plus tax credits to cover 30 percent of the cost of a plant (up to $2.4 billion in total credits). This is in addition to $7.5 billion in loans authorized in a previous bill for manufacturing advanced technology for vehicles, which includes batteries. Employees for these factories could be trained as part of $500 million in funding for retraining workers for green jobs. There is also $16.8 billion going to energy efficiency and renewable energy, which will likely include money for battery research to bring down costs and improve performance.
Additionally, there are provisions that will help ensure a market for the batteries. Tax credits of up to $7,500 will go to people who buy hybrids with large batteries that can be recharged by plugging them in; there will also be smaller incentives for converting cars into such plug-in vehicles. What's more, $300 million is set aside for federal agencies to buy alternative fuel vehicles, including plug-ins, as well as $400 million for "transportation electrification." There will also be $4.5 billion set aside for improving the electric grid, some of which is supposed to go for research on and manufacturing of batteries.
Some experts are nervous about how the money will be spent. The Department of Energy (DOE), which will be administering much of the funds, is under pressure to distribute money quickly, which some fear will increase the possibility that the funds will be misallocated. Patil, whose company will be supplying the battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle due out in 2010, says that there are plenty of lithium ion chemistries that don't make sense for automotive applications, and he hopes that the DOE will take note of this in its funding. Robert Kanode, the CEO of Valence Technologies, a battery manufacturer based in the United States (but with manufacturing in China), is likewise concerned that funding will go to technologies that have little chance of commercial success.
While it's not clear that battery costs will come down enough to create a large market for plug-in hybrids, the advances in battery technology in the United States have put the country in a position to develop a new battery industry, says Ted Miller, the senior manager for energy storage strategy and research at Ford Motor Company and a manager at a research consortium set up by the Big Three automakers. "Our weakness is not in research," he says. "Now we need to find a way to kick-start manufacturing."
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/22188/?nlid=1782
You're probably thinking of the wonderful and brilliant aquisition Bernard Madoff wasted our precious borrowed dollars on. Turned out to be crap, just like our management.
We sent some positive plates to Axion to test with their negative plates but spineless Bernie couldn't communicate to Axion the necessity to properly match the plates.
From the last 10K filing:
"In February of 2007 we delivered sufficient positive patented electrodes to Axion Power International, Inc., a battery manufacturer in Newcastle, Pennsylvania, to enable it to manufacture and test a prototype battery that features our positive electrodes with Axion’s proprietary e3 Super Cell Technology."
Too bad the moron management of PWTC didn't have enough brains to pursue government grants or a good working relationship with Axion. Our positive plates along with their negative plates would have made a great marriage of a battery.
Axion Power Gets ALABC Grant to Pursue Its PbC(TM) Technology Tests
Thursday February 5, 2009, 7:30 am EST
NEW CASTLE, Pa., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Axion Power International, Inc (OTC Bulletin Board: AXPW - News), a leading developer of battery technologies and advanced energy storage devices, announced today that it has received a pair of prestigious grants from the Advanced Lead-Acid Battery Consortium, the leading industry association made up in part by the largest companies supplying the world's battery market. The pair of grants total approximately $380,000, and will help support further research into two key areas: (1) the lead sulfate corrosion that tends to accumulate on non PbC lead-acid anodes, shortening the useful life of batteries in most cases; and (2) the use of non-corroding PbC(TM) batteries in HEVs (hybrid electric vehicles). These grants follow by days the announcement of a grant from the State of Pennsylvania to advance demonstrations of the same battery in HEVs, PHEVs (plug-in electric vehicles) and EVs. Both new grants address work on energy storage, energy density, inexpensive battery technology options, and the diminution of carbon emissions.
Axion Power CEO Thomas Granville commented, "The prestige of this ALABC grant is an important boost to us at Axion Power. ALABC is comprised of the largest battery companies in the world - you name the company, and they are members. It is generally conceded these days that carbon added to lead-acid batteries may be the key to eliminating corrosion, and this grant recognizes that our research into this phenomenon, together with our substantial patent portfolio in the area, is authoritative. We are pursuing these same initiatives on our own, and are also being assisted by grants from the State of Pennsylvania, and the US Department of Energy and Department of Defense.
"We believe," Granville said, "that our PbC and lead-carbon technologies are the keys to making electric vehicles affordable, dependable and safe. Clearly we have the attention of the world's leading battery companies, and that is rewarding in and of itself. It takes on added significance when you consider that our long range business plan calls for us to eventually sell our proprietary negative electrodes to these same lead-acid battery companies. This next step will occur as we begin to max out our own battery production capabilities."
Granville continued, "For the most part, the media is fixated on newer applications of more exotic and more expensive batteries that have, mainly, been adapted from smaller applications - such as cell phones and computers. Our US-developed and US- manufactured batteries are a natural evolution of time-tested automotive technology, and as a direct result can be made anywhere in the world, with readily available and inexpensive raw materials, and on standard lead-acid battery lines. They are also much more affordable than the exotic and expensive batteries that are imported from the Far East."
The grants are administered through the Durham, NC-based International Lead Zinc Research Organization acting on behalf of the ALABC. The first grant seeks to identify "the mechanism by which the optimum specification of carbon, when included in the negative active material of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, provides protection against accumulation of lead sulfate during high-rate partial-state-of-charge operation." The second grant seeks simply to characterize "Axion's Proprietary PbC(TM) Battery in HEV-Type Duty-Cycle Testing."
Work on the grant objectives is set to begin in the next couple of weeks.
Pennsylvania Grants Axion Power $800,000 to Study its Batteries in Electric Vehicles
Monday February 2, 2009, 7:30 am EST
NEW CASTLE, Pa., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Axion Power International, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AXPW - News), a leading developer of battery technologies and advanced energy storage devices, today announced that the potential energy efficiencies and cost savings its advanced lead-acid battery will bring to the rapidly-expanding electric car market has earned the Company an award from the Pennsylvania Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant program. The $800,000 first-year grant, which was announced by Governor Edward Rendell on January 29th, is part of the State's overall effort to invest in businesses that are creating important and innovative clean energy and bio-fuels technologies.
The award proceeds will be used to demonstrate the advantages the Axion proprietary PbC(TM) battery technology provides in a variety of electric vehicle types including: hybrids (HEVs), such as the popular Toyota Prius; "plug-ins" (PHEVs) used in commuter, delivery and other vehicles; and in EV's and converted (from combustion engine operation) EV's. The PbC battery technology, which replaces simple lead-based negative electrodes used by other manufacturers with its more sophisticated activated carbon electrode assemblies, has significantly enhanced performance characteristics when compared with other advanced lead-acid batteries. Those enhancements include deeper cycling, longer life, elimination of sulfation and shedding on the negative plate, lighter weight, and easier more rapid recharging capabilities.
"This grant acknowledges that our PbC technology has a significant role to play in the development of electric vehicles and in the rapidly expanding global market for these non-carbon-generating, energy-efficient vehicles," said Axion Power's CEO Thomas Granville. "PbC batteries have inherent advantages that they share with lead-acid batteries with respect to safety and cost savings when compared with other energy storage technologies. Our advanced carbon-enhanced products also have advantages associated with: manufacture on existing battery lines and sustainability, because the raw materials used are among the most abundant on the planet. Our product will also be very environmentally friendly because it will be easy and inexpensive to recycle. The grant is another important milestone for us. It supports our vision as we demonstrate how our technology will make electric cars, and electric car conversions, more affordable and renewable. We believe that EVs of all types are the most important automotive innovations in the world today."
The goals of the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant program, as announced by Governor Rendell, are to "expand markets for emerging technologies and ultimately make them more affordable for families and businesses." The program also aims to "create jobs, clean the environment and save consumers tens of millions of dollars a year in energy costs."
About Axion Power International, Inc.
Axion has developed and patented a next generation energy storage device that won the prestigious Frost & Sullivan Technology Award for North America in the field of lead-acid batteries. According to Frost & Sullivan, Axion's new PbC(TM) batteries have "the potential to revitalize the lead-acid battery industry by breathing new life into an established technology that is not well suited to the requirements of important new applications like hybrid electric vehicles and renewable power."
Axion Power International Inc. is the industry leader in the field of lead-acid-carbon energy storage technologies. Axion believes this new battery technology is the only class of advanced battery that can be assembled on existing lead-acid battery production lines throughout the world without significant changes to production equipment and fabrication processes. It also believes it will be able to manufacture carbon electrode assemblies in volume at low cost using standard automated production methods that are commonly used in other industries. If and when its electrode manufacturing methods are fully developed, Axion believes it will be able to sell carbon electrode assemblies as virtual plug-and-play replacements for lead-based negative electrodes used by all other lead-acid battery manufacturers. Axion's goal is to become the leading supplier of carbon electrode assemblies for the lead-acid battery industry. For more information, visit www.axionpower.com.
Try this: 512-394-0095
Speaking of Walter Madoff, we should have done this ...
Maybe he was just expecting an important call from Toyota. lol
Or maybe he was scrambling (his apparent short order cook job). lol
I think our legal eagle is on crack. lol eom
I think Walter had intentions but was basically clueless at business. In retrospect, I believe Connolly, which controlled the purse strings and Walter, never intended PWTC to succeed. That's why Connolly sold into the market whenever he could.
Are you speaking of Walter Madoff? lol eom
Hi Kevin, sorry for your loss. I sold just enough this month to claim the annual $3K loss. It's a shame that there's people in the world like Walter, Connally, and Balak who would rather cheat others than work for something good. I'm a firm believer that they will have their just reward eventually.
Take Care,
Don
Firefly Battery Prototypes Hit the Road
Source: Firefly Energy
PEORIA -- Firefly Energy announced today that it has begun deploying the first prototypes of its Oasis(TM) deep discharge advanced battery to some of the nation's top trucking fleets.
"This is a very special day for Firefly Energy and the transportation industry," said Firefly CEO Ed Williams. "Companies from around the world have been in pursuit of batteries that offer the safety and cost-effectiveness of lead acid chemistry but deliver the cyclability and sustainable capacity of advanced battery chemistries."
Williams continued: "We've nurtured and developed this technology for more than five years, and to see it deployed in products is a testament to the exceptional execution of the talented team at Firefly Energy. We're all very proud of this accomplishment, and are excited about the progress en route to the Q2-2009 commercial release of our first mass-produced Oasis Group 31 batteries."
The Oasis Group 31 battery was expressly designed to provide the greatest sustainable capacity by consistently delivering exceptionally long run times at consistent throughput levels over a longer number of discharge cycles. This performance provides a solution for numerous applications that require repetitive deep discharges of a battery - most notably the "key-off" power required for supporting truckers' overnight "hotel loads." Increasingly driven by law and fuel savings, reducing engine idle time has become critical to the transportation and trucking industry. The leading solution provider of a no-idle battery-powered HVAC system to the trucking industry, Bergstrom, Inc., will co-market the Oasis battery to ensure that their customers enjoy the longer run times and increased duty cycle of the comfort-support application.
In addition to enabling greater comfort and functionality to the truckers using sleeper cabs, the Oasis battery is expected to save the trucking industry millions of dollars by reducing the amount of diesel fuel used during idling (approximately a gallon per hour). Compared to conventional batteries, the Oasis offers longer run times, faster recharge, better high and low temperature performance, and significantly longer calendar and cycle life. Firefly has achieved these performance gains by removing portions of the lead metal used in traditional lead acid batteries and replacing it with a microcell composite material that enhances the chemical performance in the battery while resisting degradation. Unlike advanced chemistry batteries, such as those based on Nickel and Lithium, batteries using Firefly's technology are recyclable through the existing industry infrastructure, an obvious environmental benefit, as well as a big advantage to fleet maintenance and other installer locations.
Firefly's Senior Vice President and Co-founder, Mil Ovan, summarized the significance of this deployment and the company's new technology: "The trucking industry, at this critical point in time, is looking for ways to reduce costs while increasing productivity. States across the country continue to introduce anti-idling legislation that restricts engine idling to no more than five minutes an hour, making simple activities a struggle for long-haul truckers. The Oasis battery will give them the ability to rest overnight in comfort, save fuel and comply with new anti-idling regulations. Also, because the Oasis will make it easier for drivers to get off the road and get needed rest, it will help make our nation's highways safer."
On December 8th, the first four Oasis batteries were installed on a Freightliner truck operated by G&D Integrated of Morton, Illinois. Firefly personnel were on hand to assist with the installation of the batteries, as well as the sophisticated onboard data acquisition system that will permit real-time monitoring of the batteries' performance throughout the test period on this and all of the upcoming fleet-test installations. Additional deployments of Oasis prototypes to other industries beyond trucking also have commenced.
More information on the Oasis battery is available at the Firefly Energy website at www.FireflyEnergy.com.
About Firefly Energy ( www.fireflyenergy.com):
Firefly Energy Inc. ("Firefly") is a Peoria, Illinois-based battery technology company developing a portfolio of lead-acid battery technologies and products to enhance performance within major portions of the $30 billion worldwide battery marketplace. The company's first applied technology is a microcell foam-based battery technology, which can deliver a unique combination of high performance, low weight and low cost, all within a battery that unleashes the full power potential of lead acid chemistry while overcoming its performance drawbacks. Firefly's battery products and their patented microcell technology deliver to battery markets a level of performance achieved with advanced battery chemistries (Nickel Metal Hydride and Lithium) but at one-fifth the cost. Firefly's microcell battery products can be manufactured as well as recycled within the existing lead acid battery industry's vast infrastructure. Firefly is backed by multi-billion-dollar product companies such as Caterpillar ( www.cat.com, NYSE: CAT), BAE Systems ( www.baesystems.com) (London Stock Exchange over the counter symbol: BAESY), and Husqvarna ( www.husqvarna.com, other OTC: HSQVY.PK). Additional investors include Chicago-area Venture Capital firm KB Partners ( www.kbpartners.com), Quercus Trust, Khosla Ventures ( www.khoslaventures.com), Infield Capital and the Illinois Finance Authority.
Battery Fire Damages US Navy Experimental Mini-Sub
Source: Navy Times
The long-stalled future of the U.S. special warfare community’s troubled mini-submarine is even cloudier after a serious explosion and fire struck the craft last month, ironically on the cusp of a new mission and a new way ahead for the program.
The Advanced SEAL Delivery Vehicle 1 (ASDS-1) was having its lithium-ion batteries charged Nov. 9 when an explosion started a battery fire that burned for about six hours. No one was aboard the 60-ton craft, which was on shore at its base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Federal firefighters sealed the ASDS to put out the fire and continued to hose it down for several hours to cool hot spots. The mini-sub remained sealed for more than two weeks before the hatch was opened.
“The Navy has not yet determined the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage,” Lt. Clay Doss, a Navy spokesman at the Pentagon, said Dec. 5. Two investigations are underway to determine the fire’s cause and the extent of the damage, he added.
Sources familiar with the incident said that, in addition to fire damage, the craft likely would have significant water damage from having its interior flooded to fight the fire.
The incident came at a key time for the mini-sub program. The ASDS was to have deployed in November aboard the guided-missile submarine Michigan — the first SSGN deployment for the craft.
And, more than two years since U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCom) canceled further ASDS acquisitions, Pentagon officials reportedly were preparing to submit new program plans in the fiscal 2010 budget due to be sent to Congress on Feb. 2. No details of the new way ahead for the program have been revealed, although Pentagon sources said the submission would need to be reviewed in light of the pending investigations into the ASDS fire.
A primary question investigators will have is whether the craft’s new lithium-ion batteries caused or contributed to the explosion.
The ASDS’s original silver-zinc batteries provided insufficient power for the craft’s missions, and more powerful lithium-ion batteries recently were substituted. Built at Yardney Technical Products in Pawcatuck, Conn., the lithium-ion batteries are known to present hazards if not properly handled, particularly when the batteries are being recharged.
Although SOCom canceled the ASDS program in 2006, the Navy and the special warfare community remain eager to field the kind of capability embodied in the craft. Five or six people can ride inside the ASDS in a dry environment, unlike existing wet submersibles, in which riders sit astride their vehicles wearing diving gear. The wet environment is very debilitating and causes fatigue even before the SEAL reaches his destination — problems the ASDS eliminates. The 65-foot-long mini-sub is intended to be carried to operational areas aboard submerged submarines and has an operational range of more than 100 nautical miles.
The ASDS is intended to carry out a wide range of covert missions, including reconnaissance and surveillance, infiltration, sabotage and diversionary attacks, and counterterrorism and foreign internal defense missions. Navy officials routinely tout the ability to carry the craft as a key capability of existing and new nuclear attack subs and converted SSGNs.
The ASDS has had a long, checkered history. The first batch of six craft was to have been completed in the late 1990s, but technical problems led to long delays and a twelvefold cost overrun — the original $70 million contract for the first boat in 1994 ballooned to expenditures of at least $883 million by 2007, according to the Government Accountability Office. Only the first ASDS was completed and “conditionally” accepted by the Navy in August 2001, but the craft suffered from noise, vibration, power and a host of other technical and reliability problems. Although some of those problems have been solved, others have only been reduced in intensity or remain as challenges.
However, the ASDS has been used on several classified missions while improvements continue to be made.
The now-defunct Oceanic Division of Westinghouse Electric received the original design and construction contract. The division was bought by Northrop Grumman in 1996.
Sources at Northrop Grumman and rival General Dynamics Electric Boat said both companies remain eager to compete in a new ASDS program.
One submarine expert familiar with the program expected, before the fire, a new program for three boats at a cost of about $1.2 billion. Early, unofficial estimates of about $100 million to repair the damage to ASDS-1 are “very uninformed” and likely very low, the source said.
Several sources said they expected the explosion and fire would not end the use of lithium-ion batteries in the ASDS.
“Lithium-ion batteries can be quite dangerous but they’ve been safely used many times before, and these batteries have gone through many cycles,” a Pentagon official said.
“It almost certainly was a procedural issue,” the submarine expert said. “Like most things, it is very safe if you follow the procedures. But if you don’t follow the procedures, things can happen that you don’t expect.”
BJ wasn't smart enough to get Fed monies before. I doubt if his IQ has gone up any since.
Hi Bob, I've not seen anything officially, but I heard from others from another loser stock (RSHN) that .0001 is the lowest of lows. Yep, same as LB & BJ.
Hope you're keeping your head above water in this market.
Don
12 mil volume today. Puzzling. eom
CSIRO's UltraBattery Goes Global In The Auto Sector
Energy Transformed Flagship Director, Dr John Wright, was along for the ride when the UltraBattery clocked up 100,000 miles in a hybrid vehicle under test conditions earlier this year. Image credit - Advanced Lead-Acid Battery Consortium
by Staff Writers
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Sep 24, 2008
The CSIRO-invented UltraBattery is set to have a global impact on greenhouse gas emissions after Japan's Furukawa Battery Company, which has already begun production of the UltraBattery, and US manufacturer, East Penn, signed an international commercialisation and distribution agreement for the technology.
CSIRO's UltraBattery combines an enhanced-power negative electrode and a lead acid battery in a single unit and has applications for low emissions transport and renewable energy storage.
The exclusive sub-license agreement will see the UltraBattery distributed by East Penn to the automotive and motive power sector throughout North America, Mexico and Canada while Furukawa Battery Company will release the technology in Japan and Thailand.
Previous tests show the UltraBattery has a life cycle that is at least four times longer and produces 50 per cent more power than conventional energy storage systems. The technology is approximately 70 per cent cheaper than the batteries currently used in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).
Director of the CSIRO Energy Transformed National Research Flagship, Dr John Wright, is pleased to see an Australian-developed technology gain attention on a world stage.
"The UltraBattery is an exciting product and CSIRO is delighted to be working closely with two leading manufacturers to introduce the technology to the automotive market on a global scale," he said.
"This technology could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector by lowering the cost of hybrid electric vehicles and increasing their uptake, meaning that we could be looking at success on both commercial and environmental fronts.
"The UltraBattery is a satisfying example of CSIRO innovation having international impact and reinforces the valuable link between quality research and commercial development."
The technology is scheduled to be commercially available in the automotive market and for motive power applications throughout Japan, Thailand, North America, Mexico and Canada within two years.
The UltraBattery is not yet licensed in Australia for automotive applications. CSIRO is accepting expressions of interest for manufacture and distribution of the technology in this region.
UltraBattery technology also has applications for renewable energy storage from wind and solar. CSIRO is part of a technology start-up that will develop and commercialise battery-based storage solutions for these energy sources.
http://www.spacemart.com/reports/CSIRO_UltraBattery_Goes_Global_In_The_Auto_Sector_999.html
PWTC CEO Playbook ...
East Penn to manufacture hybrid battery
Tuesday, September 23, 2008;
East Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc ., near Lyons, has entered into an exclusive agreement with Furukawa Battery Co ., a Japanese battery-manufacturing company, to release the Ultra Battery in North America.
East Penn, the No. 2 employer in Berks County and manufacturer of batteries, will manufacture the UltraBattery.
The new technology enhances the ability of the battery to accept and deliver high levels of power with low levels of electrical resistance similar to a supercapacitor.
Traditionally, supercapacitor and lead-acid batteries are separate components relying on electronic controllers and complex algorithms to switch power between both units.
This new technology eliminates the need for additional electronic control and multiple energy storage devices.
East Penn said the UltraBattery is ideal for hybrid electric vehicles, which rely on a battery-operated electric motor to meet peak power needs during acceleration and recapture energy normally wasted through braking to recharge the battery.
East Penn said it continues to explore new alternative battery technologies, but it strongly believes there is a future for lead-acid technology.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1897778/
Nobody knows what the OS or the float is since there's not been any reporting for a year now.
Don't forget about those capital gain taxes. lol
Ironic isn't it? eom
Another Apple Rush PR this morning ...
Translation = Bob says, Send Mo' Money!!!
Apple Rush's Garden Distributing Adds Pepsi(R) Beverages
Friday September 5, 5:00 am ET
- $300,000 Annual Sales Increase -
BLUE ISLAND, Ill., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple Rush (Pink Sheets: APRU - News) is pleased to announce that its Garden Distributing subsidiary has added some significant beverage muscle to its lineup by selling Pepsi® products in its marketing area. Garden has taken on 10 Pepsi SKUs within its system and is continuing to review other packages and affiliated product lines for future additions.
Pepsi®, Mountain Dew®, Sierra Mist®, Sunny Delight® and Lipton Tea® were added this summer and are already contributing over half a truckload a week to Garden's business. Garden now projects even greater growth as it refines its marketing strategies and outreach to its existing customer base for these beverages. The Company projects that it should easily exceed a truckload a week of Pepsi products within two months which, conservatively, translates to an additional $300,000 in sales on an annual basis.
Alex Coronado, General Manager of Garden Distributing, said: "Our goal is to build Garden's sales and solidify its position in the market as a full line beverage distributor that provides real value and selection for its customers. By taking on Pepsi® and its affiliated beverages we are following through on our commitment to Customers and Shareholders. We both see this as an exciting venture for our Company, and as a strategic move in solidifying our customer base by offering the products the marketplace needs, and expanding our distribution to new potential customers who also want these products."
ABOUT APPLE RUSH®: Apple Rush Company, Inc. markets a line of Sparkling Organic Juice products through an extensive distribution network of nearly 40 Distributors throughout the U.S. and in foreign markets. Garden Distributing, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary that distributes a variety of popular juice, RTD tea, soft drink and food items within the Metro-Chicago and Northwest Indiana market. Updated information is available at http://www.applerush.com.
Disclaimer: The Company relies upon the Safe Harbor Laws of 1933, 1934 and 1995 for all public news releases. Statements, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements. The company, through its management, makes forward-looking public statements concerning its expected future operations, performance and other developments. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates reflecting the company's best judgment based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that other factors will not affect the accuracy of such forward-looking statements. It is impossible to identify all such factors. Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the company include, but are not limited to, government regulation; managing and maintaining growth; the effect of adverse publicity; litigation; competition; and other factors which may be identified from time to time in the company's public announcements.
Contact: Paul Knopick
E & E Communications
949/707-5365
pknopick@eandecommunications.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Apple Rush
Another Apple Rush PR this morning ...
Translation = Bob says, Send Mo' Money!!!
Apple Rush's Garden Distributing Adds Pepsi(R) Beverages
Friday September 5, 5:00 am ET
- $300,000 Annual Sales Increase -
BLUE ISLAND, Ill., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple Rush (Pink Sheets: APRU - News) is pleased to announce that its Garden Distributing subsidiary has added some significant beverage muscle to its lineup by selling Pepsi® products in its marketing area. Garden has taken on 10 Pepsi SKUs within its system and is continuing to review other packages and affiliated product lines for future additions.
Pepsi®, Mountain Dew®, Sierra Mist®, Sunny Delight® and Lipton Tea® were added this summer and are already contributing over half a truckload a week to Garden's business. Garden now projects even greater growth as it refines its marketing strategies and outreach to its existing customer base for these beverages. The Company projects that it should easily exceed a truckload a week of Pepsi products within two months which, conservatively, translates to an additional $300,000 in sales on an annual basis.
Alex Coronado, General Manager of Garden Distributing, said: "Our goal is to build Garden's sales and solidify its position in the market as a full line beverage distributor that provides real value and selection for its customers. By taking on Pepsi® and its affiliated beverages we are following through on our commitment to Customers and Shareholders. We both see this as an exciting venture for our Company, and as a strategic move in solidifying our customer base by offering the products the marketplace needs, and expanding our distribution to new potential customers who also want these products."
ABOUT APPLE RUSH®: Apple Rush Company, Inc. markets a line of Sparkling Organic Juice products through an extensive distribution network of nearly 40 Distributors throughout the U.S. and in foreign markets. Garden Distributing, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary that distributes a variety of popular juice, RTD tea, soft drink and food items within the Metro-Chicago and Northwest Indiana market. Updated information is available at http://www.applerush.com.
Disclaimer: The Company relies upon the Safe Harbor Laws of 1933, 1934 and 1995 for all public news releases. Statements, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements. The company, through its management, makes forward-looking public statements concerning its expected future operations, performance and other developments. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates reflecting the company's best judgment based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that other factors will not affect the accuracy of such forward-looking statements. It is impossible to identify all such factors. Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the company include, but are not limited to, government regulation; managing and maintaining growth; the effect of adverse publicity; litigation; competition; and other factors which may be identified from time to time in the company's public announcements.
Contact: Paul Knopick
E & E Communications
949/707-5365
pknopick@eandecommunications.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Apple Rush
Sounds like par for the course. I'm surprised this thing still had trades with there not being a clue for news for so long.
I see the news was well received with a 71.43% decrease. lol
Bobby has gone to the well too many times.
"Has anybody been in contact with this company?"
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=29792953
Yea, his golden parachute turned out to be a lead balloon. lol
PWTC was Walter and Balak's version of "Up in Smoke". I wonder who's supplying those two junkies' fix now? lol
For Bernard Walter ...
http://www.classbrain.com/cb_games/cb_gms_bag/lemonade.html
Lithium-Ion Batteries and Centerfolds
by: John Petersen posted on: July 17, 2008
They’re glamorous, sleek, sexy and hot; the building blocks of pubescent dreams and mid-life crises. But they’re expensive, temperamental, potentially dangerous and scarce.
For the last few years, news from the battery sector has been dominated by stories about advances in Li-ion batteries that hype performance while downplaying system costs and safety risks. As a result, U.S. companies operating in the Li-ion space like Ener1 (HEV) and Altair Nanotechnologies (ALTI) have attained nosebleed market capitalizations based on little more than dreams. While some recent articles have noted that global lithium supplies are limited, nobody has come to grips with the fact that it is prohibitively expensive to recycle used Li-ion batteries to a point where you can use the lithium in new batteries. So much like the oil industry, the Li-ion battery industry will have to come to grips with raw material shortages far sooner than anyone imagines.
In comparison, major lead-acid battery manufacturers including Johnson Controls (JCI), Exide (XIDE), Enersys (ENS) and C&D Technologies (CHP) have established product lines and rust-belt market capitalizations. Lead-acid innovators like Axion Power (AXPW.PK) and Firefly Energy are currently manufacturing commercial prototypes of advanced lead-acid batteries that promise huge leaps in performance at modest prices. To top it off, over 98% of used lead-acid batteries in the U.S. are recycled into new batteries; minimizing resource waste and pollution.
Size, weight and energy density are critical in cell phones and laptops, but far less important in transportation and alternative power applications: and despite all the safety talk, catastrophic failure rates of one cell in 10 million, or even one cell in100 million, are not comforting when it takes thousands of cells to make an automotive battery pack and a single failure can start a chain reaction (remember the Pinto).
History shows that two key factors determine whether a technology will be widely adopted: bottom line cost and proven product safety. I believe Li-ion fails on both counts because the technology is neither cheap nor safe.
There is growing consensus that energy storage is the next big investment opportunity because cost-efficient storage can significantly improve the profit potential and reliability of every alternative power technology. Transportation applications are an important part of the picture. But the market potential in transportation pales in comparison to bulk energy storage for wind, solar, and utility applications.
When you get real about issues like cost, safety and materials availability, I believe advanced lead-acid batteries offer an attractive alternative to their sexier but more problem prone cousins. In energy storage as in life, the plain and reliable girl next door is probably a far better bet than the airbrushed centerfold.
Disclosure: Author holds a long position in AXPW
http://seekingalpha.com/article/85365-lithium-ion-batteries-and-centerfolds
shortchange, you're much too kind. lol BJ was an idiot lawyer without a lick of business sense. That goes for his inbred cousin Timmy also. Businesswise, they couldn't pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel.
I see that there hasn't been any trades in PWTC for the last 2 days.
Firefly technology powers Oasis batteries
By Susan Wilson
June 3, 2008
This summer a new lead acid battery will arrive. Initially, the advanced battery technology will be used in Oasis truck batteries to power long haul trucks. Plans are in the works to develop batteries for hybrid and electric cars.
Lead acid batteries have been around for decades, but suffer from several shortcomings. Traditional lead acid batteries are subject to a short life span from corrosion of the positive grid and sulfation of the negative grid. Symptoms of this corrosion can be seen in that white stuff that collects on your battery connectors and cables preventing the battery from properly powering your car.
Firefly has solved the corrosion problem by replacing the typical lead grid with a new Microcell composite graphite foam grid. The Microcell grid is then filled with a “slurry of lead oxides”. The new foam grid reacts the same way as the older grid did except that it lowers the weight of the battery while improving the life span.
The Firefly technology, developed as a research and development project at Caterpillar, has also increased the efficiency of the battery and reduces the recharge rate. The technology also increased the number of deep discharges the Oasis can handle to four times what a normal battery can handle
Environmentally, the Oasis with Firefly technology, is much cleaner than nickel or lithium based batteries. Why? Because 97% of lead acid batteries are recycled for free. There is no comparable program for nickel or lithium batteries. Most recycling programs for the two newer technologies require you to pay them.
Because the life span of the Oasis is so much longer than other batteries, fewer of these batteries will need to be recycled. The graphite foam grid can simply be burned away, releasing the lead oxides to be used again.
This battery is expected to be available this summer. Since the process to create it is cheap and uses regular battery manufacturing processes, the cost should be similar to regular lead batteries but with the huge advantages outlined above.
Hopefully, this technology will be available for cars soon. The reduced weight, increased longevity and improved efficiency would be wonderful for hybrid and electric cars.
http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2008/06/03/firefly-technology-powers-oasis-batteries/
The first one, yes. The second one, no. eom
downsideup, here's something that you might be interested in.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2000_May_8/ai_61940646
http://acs.confex.com/acs/36glrm/techprogram/P13874.HTM
There were additional links showing Lindqwester's relationship with Caterpillar but seems they have conveniently disappeared.
Speak of the devil, Otterman. lol eom
Good one Trainz : ) eom
We should have had our day in the sun (Photovoltaic storage for one) for the technology was sound.
I would love for this company(?) to rise from the ashes for a number of reasons but ....
unfortunately, Walter is clueless.