Valence Technology Inc. (Henderson, NV) announced that it has received an initial volume order for lithium-polymer batteries from Bluefin Robotics Corp. (Cambridge, MA), a manufacturer of underwater vehicles.
Frank van Mierlo, president of Bluefin Robotics, commented, “We chose Valence Technology for the outstanding performance of their batteries in the extreme conditions found in our applications. The market for underwater vehicles has great growth potential, and having Valence Technology as our partner was an important consideration for us."
Valence's Senior Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Licensing Michael Mahan added, “Bluefin represents a significant breakthrough in the large commercial segment of the unmanned underwater vehicles market, with a projected battery market value of $100.0 million in 2003. Our lithium-ion polymer battery technology, which will exclusively power these vehicles, are not only ideal power sources for this type of application but mostly likely the only lithium-ion polymer source capable of performing in such high-pressure environments."
