June 2009

Faces in Fort Lauderdale. Read the second half of Tom Reddy's report on the 26th Florida Battery Show
Read Part 2 of Tom Reddy's Meeting Report
Part 1 was in the May issue

around the industry

GE Transportation to Build Manufacturing Facility

GE Transportation, a unit of the General Electric Co., plans to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant for advanced storage batteries in upstate New York. The $100 million production facility will create 350 new manufacturing jobs. New York State has pledged more than $15 million in incentives and GE is applying for U.S. Department of Energy stimulus funding for this project.

GE has invested $150 million to develop battery technologies, including a high energy-density sodium-based chemistry battery that will provide energy storage for GE Transportation's ecomagination-certified Evolution® Hybrid Locomotive, mining truck drive systems and tugboat electrification. This battery technology will allow GE to be the first manufacturer to commercially introduce a hybrid heavy-haul freight locomotive with lower emissions and better fuel efficiency in 2010.

Scheduled to be fully operational by mid-2011, the facility will be located within close proximity to the GE Global Research in Niskayuna, where advances to the battery chemistry were developed. The batteries will rely heavily on new materials, new manufacturing technologies and intelligent controls.

At full capacity the plant could produce approximately 10 million cells. That translates to 900-megawatt hours of energy storage, or enough power for 1,000 U.S. homes for a month or 1,000 GE hybrid locomotives.

Tina Donikowski, a 32-year veteran of GE and general manager of propulsion and specialty services at GE Transportation, will lead the new battery business.

Bernasconi and Flett Join ISE Corp.

Alex Bernasconi has joined ISE Corp. of San Diego, California, as senior vice president of sales and marketing, and Dr. Fred Flett as chief engineer.

Bernasconi brings over 32 years of cross-functional experience in the transportation industry. Since 1977, he has held senior level positions in sales, engineering and program management. Prior to ISE, Bernasconi served as vice-president of sales for Freightliner Trucks, division of Daimler AG, a leading producer of heavy/medium trucks. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle.

Flett brings over 31 years of vast product development experience, coupled with significant expertise in electric vehicle/hybrid vehicle powertrain components. He recently led the product and advanced technology developments for two generations of electric powertrains for Daimler and Ford Motor Co. Flett holds his doctorate degree and MBA from Hull University and International Management centers in the U.K.

ISE specializes in series hybrid-electric, all-electric, and fuel cell technologies and offers industry leading energy management solutions and system components.

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