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Dr. Nanjan Sugumaran Battery ConsultantDr. Brent Bennett Black Diamond Structures, USAMr. Dru Kefalos Black Diamond Structures, USA

MOLECULAR REBAR® INCREASES CYCLE LIFE OF BATTERIES IN DEEP CYCLE APPLICATIONS

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Who We Are

+Joint Venture

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MOLECULAR REBAR® Benefits For Your Battery

• Enables manufacturing process savings

• Simple integration into existing processes

• Increases existing capacity, reduces future CapEx

• Improves recharge time

• Increases lifetime

• Reduces water consumption

• Reduces energy consumption

Performance Improvements Process Improvements

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MOLECULAR REBAR® Technology

Clumps of Dirty, Entangled CNT’s

Clean, Detangled MR Discrete, Individual Tubes

MR in Lead Paste(or other substrates)

Key Competitive Advantage

Bulk Carbon

Nanotubes

Detangling/ Separation

Formulation -Dispersion

MasterBatch -

Concentrate

Customer Integration w/ End-Product

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MOLECULAR REBAR® Products vs. CNT vs. Carbon

MOLECULAR REBAR® Products Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) Carbon Black

Appearance Black Fluid Liquid Fine-Superfine Black Powder Fine or Rough Black Powder

Particle Size 10-15 nm x 700-900 nm 2.5-100 m spherical bundles 0.03-30 m spherical particles

Contaminates % < 1% Typically 5 - 20% Typically 1 - 5%

Inhalation Risk Extremely limited Very High Low-Medium, based on size

Dustability None present in liquid form Very High High

Dried DustabilityExtremely Low (forms smooth

film)Very High High

ToxicologyBelow length believed to be

toxic*(<4 m) Long forms are toxic (> 4m)*,

potentially carcinogenicPotentially carcinogenic

*According to literature sources

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Superior Incorporation into Water, Acid, Lead

• Formulated MOLECULAR REBAR® mixes uniformly with water/acid in battery paste.

• Other advanced carbons do not

• MOLECULAR REBAR® is strongly attracted to lead oxide added to the carbon-water/acid mixtures.

• Other advanced carbons do not

• MOLECULAR REBAR® has an improved interaction with lead, water, and acid when compared to traditional carbon offerings.

• Molecular Rebar® is a competitive advantage for battery makers

Floating Carbon(70%)

Carbon in Flux (Moving /)

20%

+ 10 g PbO

Sunken Carbon(10%)

Lead/MR(100%)

Homogenous Mixture

100%

+ 10 g PbO

Cleared Acid

Lead

Carbon (10%)

Floating Carbon(70%)

Ad

van

ced

Car

bo

nM

OLE

CU

LAR

REB

AR

®

Carbon in Flux (Moving /)

(20%)

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Ease of Implementation

• MOLECULAR REBAR® products are formulated for ease of use and incorporation

• Material is shipped as a pourable liquid which is added directly to the paste mixer

• A volume of pasting water is replaced with the MOLECULAR REBAR® liquid so total liquid volume remains the same

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Formulated Solutions For Specific Applications

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Application NAM Product PAM Product

Au

tom

oti

ve

SLI – Conventional Flooded Pb1100N Pb1100P

Start/Stop – Enhanced Flooded Pb1200Nx Pb1200Px

Advanced Auto - VRLA TBD TBD

Motorcycle – VRLA Pb1400Nx Pb1400Px

Dee

p C

ycle

/ M

oti

ve e-Rickshaw - Flooded Pb2100N TBD

e-Bikes/e-Vehicle - VRLA Pb2300N Pb2300P

Stat

ion

ary

Inverter - Flooded Pb3100Nx TBD

Solar - Flooded Pb3200Nx TBD

Renewables/Grid Storage - VRLA TBD TBD

Commercial Product / Active Development

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Pb3200Nx for Solar Batteries

• Positive Plate: Tubular

• Negative Plate: 0.16% wrto / 56L of Pb3200Nx

• 150Ah Rated Capacity

Key Features:

• Shorter recharge times

• Lower TOC voltage

• Lower water consumption

• Longer lifetime

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All data is gathered using 12 V batteries provided by Eastman.

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Solar Batteries: TOC Voltage

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Pb3200Nx lowers TOC Voltage by 300 mV during CC charging

ControlPb3200Nx

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Solar Batteries: 60% DOD CyclingRecharge times decreased 35%+

Increased # of cycles, more energy throughput

20-30% decreased water loss on cycling

Av. CON = 14.84 hAv. MR = 9.66 h

Hours to Charge 100Ah @ 15V/15A from 60% DOD

ControlPb3200Nx

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40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

0 100 200 300 400 500

Cap

acit

y (A

h)

Cycle Number

Solar Batteries: DRE Capacity Evolution

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ControlPb3200Nx 1) Pb3200Nx capacity is

holding steady after cycle 250, control capacity has declined 30% since cycle 250

2) Pb3200Nx is taking in more Ah per charge without increasing water loss

DRE test replicates failure modes seen in real applications:

Water loss, corrosion, sulphation, active material shedding

Pb3200Nx delays long-term failure modes extends lifetime

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Solar Batteries: Pb3200Nx Highlights

Performance Benefits:

• 35%+ shorter recharge time, increased cycle throughput

• Less energy required to reach full charge

• Lower water consumption

• Longer lifetime

Value Creation:

• Manufacturers – lower warranty costs or increased warranty

• Solar Providers – reduction in CapEx

• Consumers – increased battery life

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Pb2100N for e-Rickshaw Batteries

• Positive Plate: Tubular

• Negative Plate: 0.16% wrto / 56L of Pb2100N

• 80 Ah Rated Capacity

Key Features:

• Improved Ah-in during charge

• Increases time between charges

• No daytime recharge needed

• Reduced water consumption

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All data is gathered using 12 V batteries provided by Eastman.

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e-Rickshaw Battery: Recharge Factor

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14.8V/20-hour charging step (16A limit)Pb2100N increases charge factor by 5% over Control

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e-Rickshaw Batteries: Life Cycle Simulation

1) Battery output so far is 13,500Ah = 225 days of e-rickshaw operation2) Pb2100N battery is healthier; in the field it would have more Ah output

Total water consumption at 242 cyclesControl 1545 ml

Pb2100N 930 ml

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e-Rickshaw Batteries: Field Trial Results

• Scope• 3 e-rickshaw drivers w/ 4ct 80Ah Pb2100N tubular batteries• Water consumption, OCV, average charging times and other

parameters monitored bi-weekly• Voltage monitors installed, updated weekly

• Major Observations by Drivers & Owners using Pb2100N

• Pb2100N batteries DO NOT NEED A DAYTIME RECHARGE; Standard/Control batteries needed a 2-3 hour recharge

• Water consumption dramatically reduced

• Drivers’ daily earnings increased ~100 Rs/day • Due to full 80km use without a 2-3hr recharge

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e-Rickshaw Field Trial Results: Voltage Log Data

Shaded Area Shows Charge Periods

Pb2100N

• Standard batteries go ~5.25 hrs before charging• Pb2100N batteries go ~11.0 hrs before charging

• Field chargers used (see above images)

Pb2100N batteries allowa full day of use beforeneeding to recharge

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e-Rickshaw Batteries: Pb2100N Highlights

Performance Benefits (lab and field trials):

• Reaches full charge with lower voltage (less energy)

• Increases time between charges, more trips per day

• No daytime recharge needed

• Reduced water consumption

Value Creation:

• Manufacturers – increased market value, lower warranty costs

• e-Rickshaw Owners – reduced maintenance and replacement

• e-Rickshaw Drivers – more trips per day, increased revenue

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Deep Cycle VRLA (Mobility and e-Vehicles)

Product = Pb2300N and Pb2300P

Key Features:

• Faster recharge time

• Increased Ah-in during charge

• Opportunity for faster formation

• Extended life

12 V Batteries provided by Tianjin Lantian Power Sources Ltd. (6FM38 VRLA)

Batteries tested by CETC18

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Formation Enhancement

• String formed, in case

• ~5 oC Reduction in temperature during formation

• 690mV reduction in ToCV

• Opportunities for 25-30% decreased formation time

CONPb2300NP

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>150% Increased Cycle Life in Aggressive 60% DOD Cycling

All 3ct Controls Fail@ ~150 Cycles

2ct MR in PAM & NAM @ ~390 Cycles

60% DOD Cycling; 8hr/105% Limited Recharge (14.4V/1.3C) • Pb2300N/P enhances cycle life byover 150%

• Pb2300N/P batteries fully rechargeto 105% of discharge capacity in~4h, initially, but with furtherconditioning recharge in ~2h

• Controls fail to return full capacityin 8h and % capacity returneddeclines with age

• Pb2300N increases chargeacceptance, maintains surface area,shifts negative potential, andreduces sulphation

• Pb2300P provides structuralintegrity and compensates for theshift in negative potentialProtocol: 60% DoD C10DCH, 8h/105% Ah-return CHR, Cycle until EoDV < 10.5V, Boost, Check C10

Failure: C10 measurement after cycling and boost fails to return >80% of initial value

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VRLA 50% DOD Cycling

MR batteries last at least 50% longer than control batteries (MR still cycling)

Protocol: Discharge at C/4 to 50% DOD; Charge at 14.1 V and C/4 limit for 6 hours; Repeat 50x,Charge at 14.4 V and C/10 limit for 24 hours; Discharge at C/10 to 10.5 V; Measure Capacity

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Deep Cycle VRLA: Pb2300 Highlights

Performance Benefits:

• Faster recharge times

• More efficient charging (more Ah-in, less energy)

• Lower TOC voltage during formation (can speed up formation)

• Mitigates long-term failure modes

Value Creation:

• Manufacturers – opportunity for increased factory throughput

• End users – increased battery life, fewer replacements

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MOLECULAR REBAR® for Deep Cycle Batteries

Performance Benefits:• Decreases recharge time• Enables a full day of use without recharging in e-Rickshaws• Reduces water consumption• Lower charging voltages less energy to charge• Longer lifetime

Value Creation:• Manufacturers – Higher-quality products, improved manufacturing• End Users - Lower maintenance costs, improved performance• Improved sustainability for a greener India

Conclusions

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Thanks to Our Friends and Partners:

®

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Thank You for Your Attention

Please see our website www.blackdiamond-structures.comor contact us directly for questions or product inquiries.

nanjans@hotmail.combbennett@bd-structures.comdkefalos@bd-structures.com