Jun 19 2008
The Apollo supercar passed the finish line at the Nurburgring 24 hour race on May 24, 2008, running on electrical energy alone in front of 200,000 spectators, proving that hybrid technology does have a future in motor racing. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) Apollo made by Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur GmbH that was powered by Lithium Technology Corporation ("LTC") (Pink Sheets: LTHU) battery is owned by Mr. Heinz-Harald Frentzen, ex-Formula One (F1) racer and champion, and was piloted by Mr. Dirk Muller and Mr. Frentzen.
The hybrid Apollo used a 3.3 liter V8 bi-turbo petrol mill with a 100kW electric motor. LTC's 9kWh GAIA(R) battery included an advanced battery management system (BMS) that transmitted battery performance data via satellite for monitoring and enhance performance control of the technical team. Gumpert supplied the basic vehicle, a Gumpert Apollo, while Switzerland's BRUSA gave provided the electrical motor.
Mr. Muller commented "I'm proud to have been a driver for this innovative and forward-thinking project. I was fascinated at how simple and trouble-free it was to handle the hybrid system."
LTC is involved with several PHEV projects and previously introduced its own Toyota Prius with retrofitted GAIA Lithium Iron Phosphate cells in 2007, demonstrating the Company's leading technology. The company is currently supplying both cells and batteries for several other hybrid vehicle projects including buses, trucks, unmanned vehicles and motorcycles.
"LTC's battery technology has more than proven its worth in racing, providing impressive evidence that lithium-ion technology is already fit for use in hybrid vehicles," commented LTC Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Klaus Brandt. "The race was an amazing experience for everyone involved, and we're already focusing on how to bring this battery concept to the next level.
From racetracks to highways, to the depths of the ocean and up into space, LTC is powering the world in extraordinary ways. The Company manufactures a range of cells with two different types of chemistries, iron-phosphate and nickel-cobalt. Both chemistries coupled with the company's innovative end-to-end manufacturing processes and proprietary design and assembly techniques, allow LTC to provide large high performance cells and batteries unmatched by any other product.