SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PowerGenix, the leading developer of high performance Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) batteries, today announced that its batteries have achieved certification by China National Laboratory’s Tianjin Automotive Test Center. Over the past several months, Tianjin Automotive Test Center completed a comprehensive test matrix covering all aspects of advanced micro-hybrid vehicles to validate NiZn’s potential performance improvements.

The Tianjin Automotive Test Center certification indicates that PowerGenix’s NiZn batteries have passed all of the corporate standards and requirements for micro-hybrid vehicles, which are traditional gasoline or diesel-powered cars with automatic battery-powered stop-start systems. Many local automakers consider Tianjin’s certification a benchmark for quality, giving PowerGenix a competitive edge in penetrating the growing micro-hybrid market in China. In light of recent extreme levels of air pollution in China, the government has implemented fuel economy standards requiring passenger cars to reach 34 miles per gallon (MPG) by 2015, and 47 MPG by 2020. In response, many automakers are looking to micro-hybrid vehicles as the lowest hanging fruit to improve fuel economy.

“Tianjin Automotive Test Center’s stringent testing has validated several key performance benefits of NiZn for micro-hybrids,” said Salil Soman, Director of Business Development for PowerGenix. “This certification positions PowerGenix to tap into the domestic market for micro-hybrids in China, bringing us closer to our goal of eventually replacing existing lead acid batteries with high-power, low-cost NiZn batteries in stop-start vehicles worldwide.”

NiZn batteries are a leading alternative to lead-acid in stop-start systems because they offer lower weight, higher energy density, and significantly enhanced charge acceptance over their entire service life, leading to sustained fuel economy improvements. PowerGenix recently announced an innovation contract with PSA Peugeot in Europe, and its batteries are currently being tested by several major automotive OEMs globally for use with stop-start systems.

Through this extensive testing period, performed under a range of temperatures and under abusive electrical and environmental conditions, Tianjin Automotive Test Center found NiZn batteries met or exceeded all safety, product performance, mechanical integrity and storage standards. Under simulated conditions, the NiZn batteries showed over six years of service life with virtually no degradation in performance.

“Based on our test results, the high-power, long-life NiZn batteries made by PowerGenix met SBA micro-hybrid vehicles performance standards,” said Dr. Wang Fang, Head of New Energy Car Test Lab at Tianjin Automotive Test Center.

About PowerGenix

PowerGenix has developed and patented high-power, low-cost Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) batteries for hybrid electric vehicles, industrial products, and stationary storage applications. PowerGenix’s NiZn batteries outperform lead-acid and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries in a smaller and lighter form-factor, and avoid the high cost and safety issues associated with lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries – providing a highly recyclable alternative free of all toxic chemicals to existing technologies in the multi-billion dollar rechargeable battery market. For more information, please visit http://www.powergenix.com.