04.05.2015 – 07:17

Leclanché SA

EQS-News: Leclanché SA: Leclanché and Visedo to deliver breakthrough sustainable electric drive solutions

EQS Group-News: Leclanché SA / Key word(s): Miscellaneous
Leclanché SA: Leclanché and Visedo to deliver breakthrough sustainable
electric drive solutions

04.05.2015 / 07:13

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Leclanché and Visedo to deliver
breakthrough sustainable electric drive solutions

Yverdon & Lappeenranta, 4 May 2015 - Leclanché SA and Visedo Oy have
entered into a strategic alliance concerning close cooperation in
marketing, selling and developing Visedo's electric drive trains with
Leclanché's battery systems. Within this partnership, Leclanché will
provide high quality lithium-ion solutions and batteries with long calendar
and cycle life.

Leclanché and Visedo will collaborate to develop a joint BMS platform by
merging Visedo's battery control system and Leclanché's battery management
know-how. The integration of battery and traction control systems will
establish the first full plug-and-play drive train system in the
marketplace applicable to any electric bus or other EV-solution. Leclanché
and Visedo's solution is a true breakthrough for the industry as real-time
tests show that it is 30-40% more efficient compared with its peers
currently on the market.

The first joint project with Visedo's drive train and Leclanché's battery
system will be an electric bus project for a European city. After
successful installation and testing of the system, the end customer has
committed to order the first fleet of 30 to 50 electrified bus drive trains
including batteries starting in 2016, each with approx. 30-50 kWh resulting
in a total amount of 1.0-2.5 MWh of batteries.

Anil Srivastava, CEO of Leclanché SA, commented: "Leclanché is proud to
offer its energy and power intensive battery technologies to Visedo Oy in
order to develop and combine the offering of both companies into an
integrated plug-and-play drive train solution for electrical and hybrid
engines. This is truly an industry leading offer delivering the most
optimum solution to further reduce CO2 emissions and other harmful
particles affecting the environment. We are also proud to announce this
alliance's first significant success as we have already secured commercial
orders within the sustainable electric mobility segment. This achievement
also constitutes a validation of Leclanché's growth strategy announced in
September 2014. Leclanché is ready to fully capitalize on the opportunities
within the market leveraging its production facilities in Germany and
Switzerland".

Kimmo Rauma, CEO of Visedo Oy, added: "I am excited to have a strategic
business partner with a team specialized in batteries with the best
technology. The Leclanché battery cells combined with Visedo's existing
BMS-technology form an integral part of the complete drive train solution.
Visedo has been involved in several heavy machinery drive train projects
where the battery technology and especially the BMS selected have been the
key success factors to win the customer confidence. By this alliance we
will be able to bring to the market a full proven electric drive train
which meets and exceeds customer requirements and with which the
time-to-market is now minimized".

In addition to the transportation segment, Leclanché and Visedo are
cooperating in electric drive- and propulsion projects for industrial
machinery and the marine industry. These segments are also facing an
increasing regulation for energy efficiency and to reduce local emissions
and acoustic noise. Leclanché and Visedo have already been selected to be
preferred suppliers of electric drive and propulsion projects with
batteries of more than 10 MWh in terms of battery capacity for the years
2016 - 2020.

Leclanché and Visedo are confident that this strategic alliance will
provide a new and novel offering to the market replacing diesel power
trains at an increasing pace in the transportation, industrial machinery
and marine customer segments.

For further information

Claude-Olivier Rochat, Voxia communication - Mobile +41 (0)79 203 52 19 
co.rochat@voxia.ch
Rohan Sant, Voxia communication - Mobile +41 (0)79 120 00 28 
rohan.sant@voxia.ch

About the technology

The new drive train solution offers major benefits in system performance
and integration to the customer system. The integrated electric drive train
developed by Leclanché and Visedo has achieved as low as 0.7 kWh/km
consumption in an electric bus, which is 30-40% better efficiency compared
to conventional drive train solutions, where the components are purchased
in a disjointed manner from various suppliers. This means in effect that
the investment in the battery required is 30-40% less or the range
available for the battery is 30-40% longer. Thanks to these superior
performances, deep integration capabilities and the unique partnership of
Visedo and Leclanché, the companies are targeting to deliver an increasing
share of electric bus projects around the world with their integrated drive
train solution.

About Visedo

Founded in 2009, Visedo is a Finnish company specialized in design and
manufacturing of power electronics and drive train systems for industrial
machines, electric buses and marine vessels in challenging operating
environments.

Visedo develops and manufactures electric drive train components in power
range from 30-700 kW for heavy mobile work machine, marine vessel and bus
applications. The drive trains are suitable for both hybrid electric (HEV)
and electric vehicle (EV) solutions.

Our products are designed from the basis of harsh operating environment and
heavy duty requirements. We are using the latest technology based on our
own patents to offer the optimal solutions to save fuel and to lower
emission and noise levels. The products and systems are developed together
with key customers.

About Leclanché

Established in 1909 Leclanché has been a reliable partner for battery
storage technologies. Founded in the tradition of Georges Leclanché, the
inventor of the dry cell battery, Leclanché today has a rich portfolio of
Energy Storage Systems that include a range of Specialized
Customer-specific Battery Systems through industry leading lithium-ion
solutions.

Through the integration of a spin-off of the German Fraunhofer Institute in
2006 the company evolved from a traditional battery producer into one of
the first developers and manufacturers of lithium-ion cells in Europe.

Leclanché's Storage Solutions are optimized for various applications, in
particular for the integration of renewable energy, diesel fuel reduction,
electricity grid-connected ancillary services and peak power shaving for
heavy industries but also for heavy duty transportation in buses, trams,
trains or maritime vessels.

Leclanché products are characterized by a very high cycle stability (cells
with titanate anode) and long service life. Thanks to our patented
separator technology, which is a core element of lithium ion cells with
titanate anode, Leclanché is able to make cells with very good safety
characteristics in automated production. Leclanché operates a fully
automated plant for the production of large format lithium-ion cells at an
annual maximum capacity of up to 175MWh or up to one million cells.

In addition, Leclanché offers a number of specialized battery systems
through its Portable Business Unit, such as customer-specific energy
storage systems for military and medical applications. Leclanché also
distributes primary and secondary batteries and accessories of other
producers.

Leclanché, which is quoted on the Swiss stock exchange (SIX:LECN), has a
wide range of storage products for homes, small offices, large industries,
electricity grids, hybridization for mass transport systems like fleet of
buses, trams etc.



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The issuer is responsible for the contents of the release.

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Language:    English
Company:     Leclanché SA
             Av. des Sports 42
             1400 Yverdon-les-Bains
             Switzerland
Phone:       +41 (24) 424 65-00
Fax:         +41 (24) 424 65-20
E-mail:       investors@leclanche.com
Internet: www.leclanche.com
ISIN:        CH0110303119, CH0016271550
Valor:       A1CUUB, 812950
Listed:      Foreign Exchange(s) SIX


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