Next-Generation Battery Company Collaborates with In-Q-Tel (IQT) to Deliver Innovative Portable Power Solutions to U.S. Government Agencies

January 17, 2012

Contour Energy Systems,  an innovative portable power company commercializing next-generation battery  systems, today announced the signing of a strategic investment and technology  development agreement with In-Q-Tel, the  independent, strategic investment firm that identifies innovative technology  solutions to support the missions of the U.S. Intelligence Community. This strategic partnership between Contour Energy Systems and IQT will advance portable power solutions for various  terrestrial and emerging applications.

"Contour Energy Systems' work in carbon-fluoride battery chemistry shows great promise  in delivering significant improvements in energy density, power density and  reliability across a wide range of operating environments," said William  Strecker, Executive Vice President and CTO at IQT. "These performance attributes are critically  important to applications where weight reduction, longevity and durability matter."

IQT's  strategic investment in Contour Energy Systems provides funding for new battery  developments that are directly applicable to current application power  requirements at many U.S. government agencies.

Contour's advanced Lithium/Carbon Fluoride battery technology has a gravimetric energy  density twice that of either Sulfur Dioxide or Manganese Dioxide. This is significant for military applications  because by doubling the energy density, the weight of a battery pack needed for  a mission of a given duration can be cut in half, or the same size and weight  in battery packs could double the mission's duration.

Contour also delivers a higher volumetric energy density that allows for packing more  power into a given space. And combined  with its higher gravimetric energy density this extra power adds no additional  weight.

Another  advantage of Contour's advanced Carbon Fluoride battery is long shelf life and  the ability to operate in a wide temperature range. It also employs a solid cathode that  eliminates heavy metals or other toxic materials to afford safe operation and  handling. In addition, it does not  exhibit operational problems associated with Sulfur Dioxide and Manganese Dioxide batteries, such as passivation.

Contour's  Carbon Fluoride battery also has the ability to customize or tune its cathode  to meet an application's specific requirements.  By altering how fluorine is introduced into the carbon structure at the  atomic level during the manufacturing process, the battery's fundamental  properties can be changed to achieve an optimal balance of energy and power  densities, enabling new capabilities and/or better performance.

Available  in a variety of standard and customized form factors makes the advanced Carbon  Fluoride battery suitable for a wide range of military applications, including  advanced soldier systems, radios, GPS receivers, night vision goggles, thermal imagers and cameras, monitoring and  sensing systems and digital messaging devices.

"In-Q-Tel's strategic investment in Contour is significant on three  fronts," said Joe Fisher, Chief Executive Officer with Contour Energy  Systems. "First, they are a strategic investment  firm with powerful ties and partnerships with U.S. government agencies that can  take advantage of our advanced portable power technology. Second, they have a vested interest in the  commercialization of our technology above and beyond military applications. And third, their investment follows closely  on the heels of our recent Series C round of funding that provides us with  tremendous market momentum heading into 2012."

About Contour Energy  Systems
Contour Energy Systems is an innovative portable power company  commercializing customizable battery technologies for a wide range of  cross-industry applications. Contour's  next-generation battery systems are designed to deliver unprecedented  improvements in energy and power density, and are capable of performing in  extreme operating conditions at significantly improved costs. Founded through the collaboration of Caltech and CNRS, the French National  Center for Scientific Research,  the company combines expertise in nano-materials science, patented  Fluorine-based battery chemistries and manufacturing processes to significantly  advance the state of portable power.  Headquartered in Azusa, CA, Contour Energy is managed by a world-class  team of battery industry leaders from Caltech, Energizer, General Electric,  Hewlett-Packard, Sanyo and Valence Technologies. The company is privately held.