O-STA

Johnson Controls Batterien GmbH & Co. KG presents the vlies.tec car battery at the Automechanika 2002 / A new battery technology goes into production

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Brilon/Burscheid (ots) - The vlies.tec car battery from Johnson Controls represents a revolution in automotive power supply. Unlike conventional batteries that use storage accumulators, the new vlies.tec battery is equipped with absorbent glass fleece that surrounds and binds the battery acid. Until recently the battery was being produced on a small scale for the automotive industry. Now, however, the vlies.tec battery has gone into high-volume production and is also available as an aftermarket product. This technology is just one of many new developments in the battery range that Johnson Controls will be introducing from 17-22 September at Automechanika in Frankfurt, Hall 3.1, booth D 11.

The vlies.tec car batteries fulfill innovative performance criteria

The vlies.tec battery already achieved recognition in the Innovation Competition held at Automechanika 2000, receiving the group prize in the electric/electronics category. This 12-volt battery was developed to fulfill the steadily increasing energy requirements in today's technically complex vehicles. The battery provides a high level of safety, since the new vlies.tec technology effectively prevents acid leakage, even if the battery box is perforated. Since the battery is also lower in weight and volume than conventional batteries, it fits in areas other than the engine compartment and can even be installed in a tilted position. Other distinguishing features are a long service life, very high cold start performance and vibration resistance, easy handling and logistics, as well as complete freedom from maintenance requirements. The S-Class, M-Class and new E-Class from DaimlerChrysler, as well as the Volkswagen Phaeton, are already outfitted with vlies.tec batteries. The board.net battery was designed for the new 42-volt systems. This 36-volt battery is also equipped with vlies.tec technology and thus offers the same set of advantages.

High-performance power for any vehicle

With its new product lines, Johnson Controls Batterien provides the optimum solution for all car battery applications. At Automechanika we will be presenting our battery range in a brand new design. The Premium Line, featuring the duplex plus battery, has proven especially successful in the past few years. In this calcium battery the antimony used in conventional car batteries is replaced with calcium - optimized with tin, aluminum and silver - guaranteeing high quality and a long service life.

OPTIMA battery handles high demands of special vehicles

Sales of the new OPTIMA battery will also be launched at this year's Automechanika. The OPTIMA battery was developed for vehicles in which the battery must provide an extremely high starting capability. This includes, for example, sport utility trucks, farm machinery and boats. The spiral cell technology used to create the OPTIMA ensures both optimum cold start performance and a high level of vibration resistance. If you would like to learn more about the products and new battery solutions offered by Johnson Controls, please visit us from 17 to 22 September at booth D 11 in Hall 3.1.

Johnson Controls, Inc. is a global market leader in automotive systems and facility management and control. In the automotive market, it is a leading supplier of seating and interior systems and batteries. For non-residential facilities, Johnson Controls provides building control components and systems and facility management services.

Johnson Controls (New York Stock Exchange: JCI), founded in 1885, has its headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The European headquarters is in Burscheid, Germany. Its sales for 2001 totaled 18.4 billion US-Dollars, the Automotive Systems Group alone accounting for 13.6 billion US-Dollars of this figure. In the current "Industry Week" business magazine rankings, Johnson Controls has been listed as one of the top 100 best run companies in the world for the fifth time in succession.

Further information is available from:

Johnson Controls

Batterien GmbH & Co. KG

Sylke Matzen

Almer Feldweg 30

D-59929 Brilon

Tel.: +49 29 61/78 93 52

Fax: +49 29 61/78 92 32

Email: jci.matzen@t-online.de

Johnson Controls GmbH

Automotive Systems Group

Astrid Schafmeister

Industriestraße 20-30

D-51399 Burscheid

Tel.: +49 21 74/65 31 89

Fax: +49 21 74/65 32 19

Email: astrid.schafmeister@jci.com