STL Starts LiFePO4 Battery Production for Chinese Automakers

Taipei, Sept. 21, 2009 (CENS)--To tap opportunities in the rapidly expanding lithium-ion battery market, Sawtry Technology Ltd. (STL) of China, a subsidiary reinvested by local China Electric Mfg. Corp., recently began mass production of several LiFePO4 battery models for automakers in China.

Established in 2007 after being authorized by Phostech, STL is a pioneer in LiFePO4 battery production in Greater China.

Industry sources said the lucrative lithium-ion battery market has been attracting increasingly more players, hence driving fast technological advancement. Sony of Japan, for example, in August launched a new-generation LiFePO4 battery with longer life and higher efficiency, as well as being rechargeable in 30 minutes.

The STL executive said that his company has signed agreements with Chinese automakers based in Shanghai, Qingdao (Shandong Province), Beijing, Chengdu (Sichuang Province) of China to set up lithium-ion battery production lines at these automakers.

Besides building Li batteries, STL will in October demonstrate a rapid-charge e-car jointly developed with the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Branch. The new electric car, STL said, is rechargeable in 20 minutes and can cruise more than 100 kilometers. By the end of 2009, STL will also demonstrate an e-bicycle rechargeable in 10 minutes that will be jointly developed with a famous Taiwanese bicycle maker.