TENSOR xGEL

Gennevilliers, France, 17 May 2018 - GNB Industrial Power, a division of Exide Technologies, a leading global provider of stored electrical energy solutions, revealed its new TENSOR xGEL battery to customers and visitors at CeMAT 2018. Since April 2018 the maintenance-free battery for demanding applications is available for order.

"After extensive successful field trials, we opened the order book on April 1st, with intense interest from customers looking for a maintenance-free VRLA battery that can replace a standard flooded traction battery," Dr. Kai Ruth, GNB Industrial Power Senior Product Manager, Motive Power, told the press and visitors at the GNB stand.

"We are immensely proud of this technological revolution, which uses the TENSOR technology, a 3D copper diamond-shaped mesh galvanised with lead", said Dr. Ruth. "This gives ten times more conductivity in the negative plate and TENSOR furthermore enhances performance with a completely redesigned positive tubular plate with a maximized surface area."

In the new TENSOR xGEL, this is combined with Sonnenschein dryfit® technology. As a result, the TENSOR xGEL, is a highly efficient battery, with high energy content, high charge acceptance and zero maintenance that can be fully recharged from 70% depth of discharge in eight hours with the unique GNB X-profile."

TENSOR xGEL has been tested in field trials with industrial trucks used in the food, chemical and furniture industries, against standard flooded EPzS batteries and EPzV gel batteries.


TENSOR xGEL can reduce energy consumption, increase working hours and running time significantly in various applications. Since it uses dryfit^® technology, there is no need for a complex infrastructure for water refilling. Also, there is a much smaller risk of downtimes caused by incorrect battery handling. "We have shown that the TENSOR xGEL can lower the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for our customers," explained Dr. Ruth. "Opportunity charging within two-shift operations as well as outdoor or low temperature use will particularly benefit from TENSOR xGEL. We invite customers to speak with us directly to determine if their application is one of the many which could benefit from this evolution in stored energy."

Customers can experience first-hand how GNB Industrial Power consults with customers to offer the right technology and service with the best Total Cost of Ownership, to meet every application need. "Our wide range of next-generation products are used worldwide in a variety of challenging applications, helping businesses reduce costs and improve operating performance," said Dr. Ruth. With the TENSOR xGEL, we are helping customers benefit still further from a gel battery, which has an operational time comparable to standard flooded batteries."

A COMPLETE RANGE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS

With the launch of the TENSOR xGEL, GNB Industrial Power has a complete portfolio of batteries for all material handling applications, in both standard flooded as well as maintenance-free options, covering light, medium, heavy and extreme duty. The traditional MARATHON Classic remains the battery of choice for customers looking for a reliable work horse, while the low-maintenance variant MARATHON EXCELL offers reduced maintenance through extended watering intervals.

"The MARATHON range is a benchmark in flooded tubular technology" says Dr Ruth, "but we continued to look for ways to extend the technology further, to increase power density and energy efficiency. This led our R&D scientists to the innovation of TENSOR - based on copper expanded metal, a 3D copper diamond-shaped mesh galvanised with lead, which gives ten times more conductivity in the negative plate. This is the same technology and production process GNB Industrial Power uses in batteries for the world's navy submarines. For the first time, it was coupled with a completely redesigned positive plate, with more positive plates and more tubes per plate maximizing the surface area. This lowers internal resistance and enables fast and opportunity charging. TENSOR was first real evolution in decades for the industrial lead battery."

When the patented Sonnenschein dryfit^® battery for industrial applications was introduced decades ago, it was a real revolution in energy storage. This valve-regulated lead battery technology is maintenance-free and never needs watering, and prepared the way for TENSOR xGEL. "The next step, the goal for our research, was to bring the performance benefits of TENSOR technology together with the maintenance-free benefits of Sonnenschein dryfit^® gel," says Dr Ruth.

"And we did it. With the TENSOR xGEL we now have a highly efficient battery, with high energy content, high charge acceptance and zero maintenance that can be fully recharged from 70% depth of discharge in 8 hours with the unique GNB X-profile. I am incredibly excited to share the successful results of the field trials."

The best choice for some businesses might be a lead-acid solution while for others it might be GNB's high-performance Lithium battery SONNENSCHEIN LITHIUM. The company has successfully implemented more than 100 applications across Europe, and gives its customers the know-how and consulting that ensure they take full advantage of the lithium-ion technology. GNB takes the time to understand each customer's business, see how their operations work, and propose the most cost-effective solution for their needs.


GNB's market-leading range of forklift batteries is optimized to reduce total cost of ownership. Each is designed for particular applications, and GNB helps customers make the right selection for their needs. The company believes in offering a complete solution, and gives businesses the know-how and consulting to get the most out of the technology. Its range of chargers and accessories helps to maximize the performance and lifespan of its batteries.


For more info visit www.exide.com/eu

Trademark notice
GNB, TENSOR, MARATHON and SONNENSCHEIN are registered trademarks of Exide Technologies.


Contact

Marleen Boucoiran
Marketing Manager Europe
Exide Technologies
T: +49 (0)6042 81 463
E: send an email


About Exide Technologies

Exide Technologies (www.exide.com) is a global provider of stored electrical-energy solutions for the transportation and industrial markets. Exide's 129 years of technology innovation combined with operations in more than 80 countries enables the company to deliver compelling solutions for the world's current and future power needs. Exide produces and recycles a broad range of products, serving the Transportation, Network Power and Motive Power market segments with battery and energy storage systems and specialty applications for a broad range of industries including: agricultural, automotive, electric, light and heavy-duty truck, marine, materials handling, military, mining, powersport, railroad, security, telecommunications, utility and uninterruptible power supply (UPS), among others. Exide is Powering the World Forward - history and scale combined with a start-up mentality make Exide the right choice for customers who want more than simply a battery supplier.