This is the first serious benchmark demonstration of research
progress ever provided to the public. It is welcome but also a touch
disquieting as fabricating test EESUs of some type should be in
evidence all over the place. Obviously they are holding out for now
in order to have plenty to provide later. Most likely fabricating the working
EESU has been the issue all along.
Once again, expect difficulties to increase ten fold when you reduce
dimensionality ten fold. So far my expectations have been met in
spades. Yet this is completely normal and the research needs to be
broadly supported.
Today the challenge is to produce an EESU panel able to support an EV with
a five hundred mile range and having rapid rechargeability. I
suspect that they could well do it.
What is not mentioned however, is that this technology lends itself
to additional scaling in which that EV will have a range of five
thousand miles. That of course will be far more difficult but it is
the natural extension of this research.
ZENN Motor Company
Provides Update on EEStor
Sept. 12, 2012, 6:36
p.m. EDT
TORONTO, ONTARIO, Sep
12, 2012
("ZENN" or
the "Company") provided an update on EEStor Inc. ("EEStor")
and its progress in the development of its Electrical Energy Storage
Units ("EESUs"). This update is being made in connection
with the commitment of ZENN to report on technological progress at
EEStor by September 12, 2012 and in lieu of a direct release by
EEStor. On September 10, 2012 representatives of ZENN and its
consultant (Mr. John Galvagni, an expert in capacitors with extensive
industry experience in energy storage) attended at the facilities of
EEStor in Cedar Park, Texas. The ZENN team was given unprecedented
access to EEStor and its technology. EEStor provided an in-depth
briefing on the history of its development of EESUs and allowed
ZENN's team to observe testing on various layers produced by EEStor.
EEStor is producing
EESU layers in its facility in Cedar Park, Texas. The ZENN team was
given a full tour of the state of the art facility. It observed a
recently produced layer which was tested at 1 volt and had an
observed permittivity level in excess of 100,000. The layer did
not contain any of EEStor's proprietary composition-modified barium
titanate ("CMBT") powders and so was not tested at higher
voltages. Without the CMBT powders dissipation and leakage would not
be expected to be at commercially acceptable levels. EEStor then
demonstrated a layer produced some time ago which had an earlier
version of its plastic based matrix and contained the CMBT powders.
The earlier versions of the layer had substantially lower levels of
permittivity than the recent layers. This layer with the CMBT had
a permittivity of approximately 1000 and was tested at several
voltages ranging from 1 volt to 1250 volts. There was no observed
decline in permittivity throughout the test. Further, observed
leakage throughout the test was not in excess of 1 micro ampere even
at 1250 volts, a field of 50 volts/micron.
Mr. Galvagni has
provided his preliminary report to ZENN and notes the following:
-- the level of
permittivity achieved in the layers without CMBT is unprecedented
and appears to represent a significant breakthrough in dielectric
materials
-- the fact that
permittivity of the layer with CMBT was maintained across a broad
voltage range is a positive achievement as to date higher
permittivity dielectric materials have shown significant declines in
permittivity as voltage is increased. Declines are generally
observable above permittivity levels of 50. Dielectric materials with
a permittivity above 600 have all shown material declines in
permittivity as voltage is increased. While the tested layer at a
permittivity of 1000 is a long way from the 100,000 level in the
current layers, it is a positive indicator of the performance of EESU
layers where the CMBT has been added and is an important
technological step. It remains to be seen whether the layers will
maintain their permittivity when voltage is increased at permittivity
levels well in excess of 1000
-- the consistency
and characteristics of the CMBT appear to be at a level of purity not
previously attained. Original purity levels were previously certified
by EEStor through a third party in 2009.
-- the observed
leakage rates are extremely compelling for energy storage
applications
-- the plant employs
advanced technologies and appears to be easily scalable
Overall Mr. Galvagni
expressed his excitement in what he saw. Mr Galvagni was informed of
the trigger in certain options granted on September 12, 2011 that
depends on EEStor showing "significant progress in technology
development" and was asked to provide independent advice in this
regard. He advised ZENN that he had witnessed very significant
technological progress in the area of capacitors, dielectrics and
energy storage. He indicated that if high permittivity levels can be
maintained across a range of voltages when the CBMT powders are added
to the current polymer based high permittivity version of the EESU,
the layers will have significant commercial potential. If the
observed high permittivity can be maintained as voltage is increased
it could be possible to produce high energy density layers at
voltages much lower than the targeted 3500 volt level which would
simplify the EESU's commercial application.
EEStor is now working
on its next step of adding CMBT powders to its new polymer based high
permittivity layers. It believes, based on fundamental research and
the tests it provided to ZENN, that these layers should be able to
achieve high energy density with low levels of dissipation and
leakage and overall performance at or above the targets agreed with
ZENN in the Technology Agreement between the parties dated May 15,
2012. However, until the layers are produced and tested there can be
no assurance of the performance of these layers.
Jim Kofman Chairman
and Interim CEO of ZENN commented: "This is the kind of
information shareholders have been seeking for a long time. It is
exciting to finally see the technological progress at EEStor. The
EEStor team has been working long and hard to prove its technologies
and was able to convincingly demonstrate some major achievements. We
are mindful that the next step of producing layers that meet all our
performance targets is the most critical step, but our observations
and Mr. Galvagni's report give us the most current empirical evidence
of major scientific breakthroughs at EEStor. It supports our
confidence that things are going in the right direction and that
EEStor has been making important breakthroughs."
To assist EEStor in
its working capital needs, ZENN has offered to advance up to $200,000
to EEStor against payments payable under the milestones in the
Technology Agreement subject to certain adjustments depending on when
EESUs are certified.
Further updates will
be provided once EEStor has produced and adequately tested its new
layers. The observations from this visit do not constitute formal
certification as ZENN was not able to test or calibrate the testing
equipment and Mr. Galvagni was not engaged to conduct formal
certification. An independent testing firm is expected to conduct
such tests.
John Galvagni has
worked in the technology space with a focus on capacitors and energy
storage for over 50 years. Most importantly for 38 years he worked
with AVX Corporation as an R&D Scientist and an AVX Fellow and
was involved in the development of energy storage capacitors. He has
an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from St. Michaels College,
Vermont, did graduate work in Physics at Bennington College, Vermont
and Mass State and an MBA from Webster University, Missouri.
About ZENN Motor
Company Inc.
The Company's goal is
to be the provider of leading edge power storage solutions and
related technologies to the automotive industry.
Technologies and
solutions, powered by EEStor's electrical energy storage units (EESU)
have the potential to enable OEM and Tier 1 partners to deliver
advanced electric transportation solutions to their customers.
Neither TSX Venture
Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is
defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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