Motors & Drives Information

Kollmorgen Corporation (NYSE: KOL), a leading supplier of high-performance electronic motors and drives, today announced that it has contracts to build the high-performance motors for two new lines of electric bicycles now being introduced in the U.S.

Kollmorgen will supply custom electric motors for the U.S. Pro Drive electric bike line from Currie Technologies and for the eBike line from E.V. Global. The motors are high-efficiency DC brushless motors with no "brushes" or mechanical contacts, so they eliminate friction, reduce wear and allow the system to run longer on a single battery charge. The motor can generate speeds up to 18 miles per hour and travel up to 20 miles on a three-hour charge. Cyclists can also pedal faster and further with minimal pedaling. The bikes plug into any standard AC outlet.

"These brushless motors bring very high efficiencies to this kind of application," said Willy Verbrugghe, president of Kollmorgen's Industrial and Commercial Group. "In the past, the motors had to be so large that it made the bikes impractical. We expect this market to grow very quickly over the next few years both in the U.S. and overseas."

The Kollmorgen brushless technology offers better than 90 percent efficiency, more than twice the efficiency of brush-type motors. The Currie Tech design, priced at $899, uses a direct-drive motor attached to a drive plate on the rear wheel of the bike. It is available as a two-wheel or three-wheel model with two speeds, high and low. It can also be purchased as a conversion kit for any 26-inch bike. The eBike design incorporates the direct-drive motor as part of the rear hub itself. The eBike is available in several models priced from $1,000 to $1,395.

"We see a lot of growth in this market," says Kirk Strobel of Kollmorgen. "Currie already has a model available for police applications and they are working on designs for scooters that can be used in warehouses, marinas, airports. The bikes are so clean, quiet, and easy to operate that the applications are almost unlimited."

About Kollmorgen Corporation

Kollmorgen's primary business is high-performance electronic motion control components and systems.

About Currie Technologies

Currie Technologies Inc., located in Van Nuys, Calif., is a maker of electric bicycles. The company was founded by Dr. Malcolm Currie, former chairman and CEO of Hughes Aircraft and Delco Electronics, and Richard Mayer, owner of Electric Car Company of America. Mayer and Currie are co-inventors of the patented U.S. Pro-Drive(TM) propulsion system.

About E.V. Global Motors

E.V. Global was founded by Lee Iacocca, former Chairman and CEO of Chrysler Corporation. The company is committed to providing with new choices for battery-powered transportation and recreation that are both convenient for the user and friendly to the environment.

Cautionary Statement

The anticipated benefits associated with these contracts are forward-looking as defined in the federal securities laws. Expected performance may not be achieved due to a variety of factors including, but not limited to receipt and timing of actual purchase orders, market acceptance of the products, competition and continued demand for the products in the marketplace, the ability of the company to fulfill terms of the contract, and other risks detailed in Kollmorgen's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1998.

# posted by Medical Information : 2:35 AM