Alpha Program Launch Targets $3B Traction Market With High-Performance Storage Needs

Gridtential Energy, Inc., a developer of high-performance energy storage technology, today announced the external launch of its Alpha Program and a Joint Development Agreement with Alpha partner MTD Products Inc. The move with MTD, a global leader in outdoor power equipment, signals the demand for economic energy storage solutions for industries with high-performance requirements. To learn more about becoming part of the Gridtential Alpha Program, please visit https://www.gridtential.com.

Today’s $3B traction market, which includes small-scale vehicles and equipment historically reliant on emission-heavy combustion engines, is making significant strides in energy storage adoption. Driven by consumer demand and the need for an economic, high-performance storage solution, market leaders like MTD see compelling current and future applications.

“As a global leader of the lawn and garden market, we’re dedicated to product innovation that continually exceeds our customers’ expectations around performance and price, and embraces new technologies that reduce emissions for a cleaner world. We see this partnership with Gridtential as the opportunity to meet our customers needs, while ensuring we maintain our role in embracing sustainable business practices at a price point that makes good economic sense,” said Rory Bringhurst – Executive Vice President Product Development, MTD Products Inc.

Gridtential has enlisted strategic partner Intevac to support process development and preparation of its high-performance battery plates. Intevac is providing both technical and manufacturing support based on their widely-deployed thin-film deposition equipment for the hard drive media and solar cell markets. “Intevac’s extensive experience in high-volume, cost-sensitive manufacturing applications will help accelerate Gridtential’s development of its advanced lead-acid battery storage technology” said Mike Russak, Executive Vice President of Intevac. “Intevac can provide a proven, economic and scalable equipment solution to enable Gridtential to meet the needs of the large and growing energy storage markets.”

The initial Alpha units are maintenance-free, 6V AGM batteries that deliver high energy density, longer battery life and improved cycling performance.

“After exceeding our first Quarter performance milestones, we are pleased to move forward with our first JDA, deploying and testing our advanced solution in the traction markets, as well as in traditional and distributed backup applications,” said Christiaan Beekhuis, President and CEO of Gridtential Energy. “Our novel battery platform can be used to improve performance in a wide range of applications and we look forward to expanding our external testing with our next wave of Alpha Program partners.”

About Gridtential Energy:
Gridtential Energy is developing a low-cost, scalable battery architecture that significantly improves energy density, cycling performance and battery life. Gridtential has relationships with key suppliers to accelerate development of highly repeatable, high-volume battery production capabilities. Gridtential Energy is located near downtown San Jose at the San Jose BioCube Innovation Center. To learn more, visit https://www.gridtential.com.

About MTD Products Inc:
For more than 40 years, MTD has been a leader in designing and building durable, easy-to-use outdoor power equipment. Our family of brands offers award-winning products designed to meet lawn and garden needs for both residential and commercial markets. Explore our brands to find the product that’s right for you. Our portfolio of brands includes Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt, Yard-Man, Yard Machines, White Outdoor and Cub Cadet Commercial.

About Intevac Inc:
Intevac was founded in 1991 and has two businesses: Equipment and Photonics. In our Equipment business, we are a leader in the design and development of high-productivity, thin film processing systems. Our production-proven platforms are designed for high-volume manufacturing of substrates with precise thin film properties. Intevac is the market and technology leader in the hard drive industry, with our systems processing approximately 60% of all magnetic disk media produced worldwide. Our high-performance, high-throughput technology solutions continue to expand into additional markets – including solar and adjacent thin film deposition applications.

Media Contact:
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