Boston-Power Expands Mass Manufacturing Through Strategic Partnership With GP Batteries
Boston-Power, Inc. announced that it is substantially expanding mass production of its Sonata rechargeable Li-ion batteries through a strategic partnership with GP Batteries. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
GP Batteries is described as the top consumer battery manufacturer in Greater China. It is a member of Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Ltd..
Under the five-year agreement, GP Batteries will dedicate its Li-ion battery factory in Taiwan exclusively to produce Sonata batteries. Using technology and material supplied by Boston-Power, the factory will double its monthly production in 2009. Boston-Power and GP Batteries will also undertake a joint R&D effort to expand even further the capacity and performance of Sonata cells.
By working with GP Batteries, Boston-Power believes that Sonata will benefit from Six Sigma processes, world-class shop floor control, and a unique, real-time quality control feedback and management system that is proprietary to Boston-Power and is said to establishe a new benchmark for battery production.
"GP Batteries has built a global reputation for understanding the most critical trends in battery technology, and we’re constantly extending our leadership," said GP Batteries Chairman and Chief Executive Andrew Ng. "We immediately recognized the power of the Sonata technology when it was still under development, and were equally impressed with Boston-Power’s vision, leadership team and R&D capabilities. We’re pleased to expand upon the relationship we established in 2007 and look forward to playing a pivotal role in delivering the next generation of Lithium-ion batteries to market."
"Boston-Power has redesigned the notebook computer battery from the ground up to make it a source of customer satisfaction by providing the kind of experience mobile consumers and business users want," said Boston-Power Founder and CEO Dr. Christina Lampe-Onnerud. "We’re thrilled to be expanding mass production of Sonata with a world-class partner like GP Batteries."
According to Boston-Power, the Sonata is the only Li-ion notebook computer battery architected to last the typical three-year life of a notebook computer. It is also said to recharge three times faster – to 80% capacity in 30 minutes or 40% in 10 minutes. Sonata’s "drop-in" form-factor enables it to be used with existing notebook computers. Its patent-pending, whole-system design makes it capable of benefiting a wide range of end-applications.
