PosiCharge Unveils Innovative Motive Power System Implemented by Top U.S. Companies
Total Solution Features New Line of Intelligent Fast Chargers, Fleet Management Software, Battery Accessories, and Custom Installation Services
CHICAGO, At ProMat, Jan. 8, 2007 - PosiCharge® today launched a series of new products to enhance its line of intelligent fast chargers. The new additions to the "total power" solution include two new single-port fast chargers, PosiNET fleet data software, the SideKick thermal-management battery accessory, and the Truck Selector management tool.
Leading automotive manufacturers such as Ford, top food and beverage companies, such as SYSCO, and major U.S. airlines including Southwest are among many of the companies that have installed a customized PosiCharge motive power system to replace battery rooms at their distribution centers, manufacturing plants and airport facilities to liberate labor, capital and space.
"PosiCharge takes a 360-degree, integrated approach to our customers' operations to optimize their investment in motive power technologies," said Pat Dellario, vice president and general manager, PosiCharge. "Our focus is on intelligent systems built on a common architecture that are designed to interact seamlessly to increase fleet productivity, lower operating costs and provide actionable data and insights into operations."
The new fast chargers, the SVS200 and SVS300, are highly efficient and built for the Class 1 and 2 material handling vehicle market. These products, like all other chargers in the PosiCharge line, use field-proven, intelligent charge controls for vigilant thermal management.
PosiNET is a Web-based motive power management system that automatically captures and analyzes data from trucks, batteries, and chargers. The system also provides real-time, historic and predictive reports on the state of the entire electric vehicle fleet in order to manage the fleet effectively, minimize fleet downtime, and optimize vehicle allocation within and across facilities. PosiNET is being deployed at distribution centers throughout the country to augment the benefits of the basic PosiCharge fast charge system.
SideKick is an active-cooling module that attaches to existing lift truck batteries and allows them to be fast charged at high current levels while keeping their temperature in a safe, healthy range. For heavy-duty applications or operations where there is insufficient charge time, it is critical to return as much energy as possible to the battery quickly. SideKick's thermal management technology is designed to allow the PosiCharge system's intelligent charge algorithm to maintain maximum current while simultaneously protecting battery health.
Finally, Truck Selector supplements the system offering even further by providing users of heavy-duty fleets, normally thought to be outside the capability of fast charging, with the productivity benefits of PosiCharge.
Each of these motive power offerings was designed and developed with productivity-driven customers in mind. "Our project management team works closely with each customer to provide custom solutions and installation services to meet their company's unique needs. We believe this effort can result in a reduction of up to 40% or more in the 5-year cost of ownership when compared to battery changing," Dellario said. "With the PosiCharge system, vehicle downtime is reduced and companies can run trucks on one battery all day just by plugging in for periodic charges during breaks and shift changes."
Tim Conver, president and chief executive officer of PosiCharge parent AeroVironment, Inc. noted, "We remain committed to supporting our customers' continued success. We believe that our PosiCharge offering will help to increase their productivity and competitiveness."
The collaborative work between PosiCharge and its customers has received national recognition. Last spring, the joint effort between Ford Motor Company and PosiCharge to improve manufacturing processes within the automotive industry was recognized by Automotive News with the prestigious PACE Award for Innovative OEM Collaboration. PosiCharge also received a separate PACE Award in the Manufacturing Process and Capital Equipment category.
About PosiCharge
PosiCharge motive power systems feature intelligent fast chargers designed to allow users to eliminate the battery room and its associated challenges, thereby recovering run time, enhancing productivity, optimizing assets, and improving worker safety. PosiCharge is designed to fast charge each battery in the vehicle during scheduled breaks, so the battery never leaves the vehicle. With a proprietary system that safeguards batteries by customizing each charge, PosiCharge can actually extend a battery's useful life as compared to conventional charging technology. PosiCharge has been supporting high-velocity Fortune and Global 500 facilities for more than six years. PosiCharge is an AeroVironment, Inc. product. More information can be found at www.posicharge.com.
About AeroVironment, Inc. (AV)
AV designs, develops, produces and supports a technologically advanced portfolio of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and fast charge systems. The company's small UAS are used extensively by agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense to deliver real-time reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition. For more information about AV please visit www.avinc.com.
Contact:
Steven Gitlin
AeroVironment, Inc
626.357.9983
gitlin@avinc.com
