Balqon Corporation Completes Testing on Lithium-Ion Battery Powered Electric Tractor

The successful cold weather testing of Balqon’s newest product, the Nautilus XE20, is a continuation of the engineering developments at Balqon. “Our demonstration of the performance of the Nautilus XE20 in actual warehouse applications at temperatures below 10°F under loads exceeding 25 tons validates our belief that the durability, range and performance of our heavy-duty electric vehicles would not be diminished due to the effects of cold weather,” said Mr. Balwinder Samra, Balqon Corporation’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

“We believe that the four weeks of successful testing validates the Nautilus XE20 as a viable alternative to diesel fuel powered vehicles in cold weather conditions. Based upon the fuel cost data we recorded, we also believe that Balqon’s heavy-duty electric vehicles will provide significant fuel cost savings as compared to diesel fuel powered heavy-duty vehicles that must remain idle all day in cold weather conditions to prevent fuel line freeze-up,” added Mr. Samra.

The Nautilus XE20, released earlier this month, is designed, integrated, and built in cooperation with Autocar® Truck and their Xspotter® yard tractor team. “Supported by Autocar® locations coast to coast in US and Canada, we believe that the Nautilus XE20 is truly a commercially viable zero emissions alternative to traditional diesel powered yard tractors currently in use in warehouse distribution centers, marine terminals, intermodal facilities, industrial plants and railyards,” said Autocar’s® Eric Schwartz, Vice President Specialty Vehicle Business of Autocar® LLC.

The Nautilus XE20 is designed for off-highway container or semi-trailer “spotting” applications, and is equipped with Balqon’s proprietary heavy-duty drive system and lithium-ion battery management system. The Nautilus XE20 is designed to travel at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour and is capable of towing loads of up to 40 tons. Field demonstrations conducted at both a large beverage distribution warehouse and an industrial manufacturing facility showed lower energy consumption over competitive diesel powered vehicles operated in a similar environment.

Balqon Corporation is a leading developer of heavy duty electric trucks, tractors and electric drive systems. The Company uses its proprietary flux vector control technology to design propulsion systems for 10 to 50 ton capacity vehicles and material handling equipment. Balqon Corporation’s current product line of tow tractors are designed to transport containers at ports, marine terminals, rail yards, warehouses, intermodal facilities, military bases and mail facilities. For information about Balqon Corporation and its product offerings, visit www.balqon.com. Balqon Corporation’s common stock trades on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol “BLQN”.

Autocar, LLC, headquartered in Hagerstown, Indiana, is an engineering, assembly, sales, and service company, with a focus on severe service heavy duty trucks. Autocar® engineers and assembles highly customized vehicles for applications including waste collection and hauling, yard tractor spotting, drayage hauling, mobile cranes, construction, and aircraft services. Additional information on Autocar® LLC is available at www.autocartruck.com