Leviton Electrifies Plug-in Electric Vehicle Market with New Charger Molded from SABIC Innovative Plastics' Sustainable Valox iQ* Resin
PITTSFIELD, Mass. - Dec. 14, 2010 - SABIC Innovative Plastics today announced that Leviton Manufacturing, a North American leader in electrical devices and systems, has selected Valox iQ* resin for the housing of its new Evr-Green(TM) electric vehicle (EV) cord set, a portable charger for EVs. Valox iQ resin - which incorporates up-cycled post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from water bottles and offers molded-in color to avoid secondary painting - significantly enhances the environmental benefits of the Leviton charger. Equally important, it delivers high electrical and mechanical performance and custom colorability. The Valox iQ family of post-consumer recycled (PCR) content resins is part of SABIC Innovative Plastics' newly expanded, broad portfolio of sustainable solutions, recently launched at K 2010, that help customers develop differentiated, environmentally responsible products.
"When we created our Evr-Green charging unit, a key requirement was using sustainable materials whenever possible," said Michael Mattei, vice president and general manager, Leviton's Commercial/Industrial business unit. "We wanted to be sure our charger not only facilitates adoption of electric cars, but also minimizes environmental impact. We turned to SABIC Innovative Plastics, a trusted long-term supplier, because of its leadership in sustainable materials. Valox iQ resin met all our requirements. It's not just a proven PCR-based material, it also provides exceptional electrical, mechanical and aesthetic performance needed for this demanding consumer application. We believe the use of Valox iQ resin adds an important facet to the total environmental value of our new product line."
The Leviton Evr-Green portable unit, operating at 110 volts, enables consumers to conveniently recharge their battery-powered EVs at home or wherever there is an available 110V / 15amp receptacle. It is compatible with all North American plug-in vehicles deployed with J1772 inlets, which is the standard set earlier this year by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
Sustainability Plus No-Compromise Performance
Global sustainability issues are at the core of SABIC Innovative Plastics' business strategy, built on the company's commitment to maximize the usefulness of valuable natural resources. Customers want solutions that help reduce their environmental footprint by cutting energy consumption during manufacturing; that help reduce the weight of their products or make them thinner; and that are more easily recycled or include recycled content. SABIC Innovative Plastics' product portfolio, technological expertise and history of innovation enable the development of materials that can help customers tackle a wide variety of environmental issues.
Award-winning Valox iQ resin is based on polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) that uses post- consumer PET feedstock, which is upcycled via a proprietary process. Valox iQ PBT resin helps to divert waste from landfills, and provides up to a 34 to 47 percent reduction in both carbon dioxide emissions and process energy utilization per kilogram of PBT. Further, Valox iQ resin provides molded-in color capability to replace painting, which can add cost and pose an environmental hazard from volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
Valox iQ resin also provides key performance properties to the Leviton charger housing. To address the demands of this high-voltage device, Valox iQ resin underwent extensive Underwriters Laboratory (UL) testing, and is UL 746C f1 rated in all colors.
"Proactive work performed by our team enabled Leviton designers to take advantage of our broad molded-in color capability to create a charger housing featuring the company's blue and green brand colors," said Dennis VanPoppelen, electrical product marketing manager, SABIC Innovative Plastics. "At the same time, the engineering team saved time and expense by working with a material that was already UL 746C f1 rated. Further, our technical team provided expertise in tooling and process optimization for this new application. SABIC Innovative Plastics takes pride in going the extra mile to help customers streamline key processes and get their products to market faster."
Other key properties of Valox iQ resin are high impact and toughness to withstand accidental contact with a vehicle and excellent resistance to household chemicals and ultraviolet (UV) light. This material has a strong fit in the electrical and telecommunication markets, and SABIC Innovative Plastics is seeing growing demand in the hybrid and full electric automotive and commercial transportation sectors.
For additional information on SABIC Innovative Plastics' Valox iQ resins, please go to www.sabic-ip.com. For technical product inquiries, please contact us at www.sabic-ip.com/prtechinquiry.
About SABIC Innovative Plastics
SABIC Innovative Plastics is a leading, global supplier of engineering thermoplastics with a 75-year history of breakthrough solutions that solve its customers' most pressing challenges. Today, SABIC Innovative Plastics is a multi-billion-dollar company with operations in more than 35 countries and approximately 9,000 employees worldwide. The company continues to lead the plastics industry with customer collaboration and continued investments in new polymer technologies, global application development, process technologies, and environmentally responsible solutions that serve diverse markets such as automotive, electronics, building & construction, transportation, and healthcare. The company's extensive product portfolio includes thermoplastic resins, coatings, specialty compounds, film, and sheet. SABIC Innovative Plastics (www.sabic-ip.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), one of the world's top six petrochemicals manufacturers.
About Leviton
Leviton is a global leader in electrical wiring devices, data center connectivity solutions and lighting energy management systems. A member of the USGBC (United States Green Building Council), Leviton was founded at the turn of the 20th century, and has grown to become a preeminent leader in the industry. Today Leviton's product portfolio consists of over 25,000 devices and systems used in homes, businesses and industry. Nine out of ten buildings and homes throughout North America use products made by Leviton and builders, electrical contractors and other industry professionals rank Leviton products #1 in brand preference. Leviton products are the smart choice for smart professionals. For more information, contact Leviton Manufacturing Co., 201 North Service Road, Melville, New York, 11747, or visit our Website at www.leviton.com.
SABIC Innovative Plastics Media Contacts
Global
Jodi Kennedy
SABIC Innovative Plastics,
Pittsfield, Mass., U.S.A.
Tel: +1 413 448 7383
E-Mail: jodi.kennedy@sabic-ip.com
Asia
Larry Feng
SABIC Innovative Plastics, S&P Asia Pacific Shanghai, China
Tel: +86 21 6288 1088
E-Mail: larry.feng@sabic-ip.com
Agency Media Contacts
The Americas
Jim Allison
AH&M Marketing Communications,
Pittsfield, Mass., U.S.A.
Tel: +1 413 448 2260, x250
E-Mail: jallison@ahminc.com
Brazil
Gabriela Bruschi
Edelman Brazil, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Tel: +55 11 3017 5300, x221
E-Mail: gabriela.bruschi@edelman.com
Europe
Kevin Noels
Marketing Solutions, Bergen op Zoom,
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 164 317 011
E-Mail: knoels@marketingsolutions.be
China
Vivien Gong
Edelman, Shanghai, China
Tel: +86 21 6193 7524
E-Mail: vivien.gong@edelman.com
Japan
Mitsu Sugino
Tokyo PR Inc., Tokyo, Japan
Tel: +81 3 3273 2731
E-Mail: sugino@tokyopr.co.jp
