• Leclanché Marine Rack System (MRS) reduces marine vessels’ harmful emissions and operating costs
• To be used in Denmark’s E-ferry, the world’s largest, 100 per cent electric ferry

YVERDON LES BAINS, Switzerland, 15 May 2017: Leclanché SA (SIX: LECN), one of the world’s leading energy storage solution companies, announced today the market launch of Leclanché Marine Rack System (MRS), a modular, Lithium-ion battery system to reduce marine vessels’ harmful emissions and their operating costs. Leclanché MRS is the first marine battery system of its type approved by international certification body DNV-GL under revised rules issued in October 2015.

Leclanché will use the MRS on the E-ferry in Denmark, the world’s largest, 100 per cent electric ferry by battery capacity, equipped with a 4,3 MWh Leclanché Lithium-ion battery and scheduled for launch later this year.

Anil Srivastava, CEO of Leclanché, said: “There is a huge opportunity for marine vessels across the world to reduce their harmful emissions and cut their operating costs by leveraging battery storage technology. This is why we developed the MRS and we are delighted that it is the world’s first such solution to receive type approval from DNV-GL. This certification opens up a very exciting and substantial global market for Leclanché.”

Antti Väyrynen, Vice President E-Transportation, Leclanché, added: “Type approval is an important catalyst to our market growth as it significantly simplifies the certification process of each vessel that uses the Leclanché MRS.”

Safety was one of Leclanché’s key focus areas when developing the MRS. The company performed multiple fire propagation tests to ensure that the battery system performed safely, in even the most extreme situations. With the requirement to pass close to 20 separate tests, the DNV-GL certification process sets the benchmark for battery system safety in marine applications.

The E-ferry will be launched in late 2017 sailing between the island Aeroe (Ærø) and the mainland. The emission-free, passenger and car ferry will be able to sail a record 60 nautical miles (110 km) on a single charge. The E-ferry is an EU Horizon 2020 project, the EU’s €77 billion transport and energy research and innovation programme from 2014 to 2020.

In Scandinavia, there is the potential to convert nearly 200 ferry routes to electric within the next decade; Europe-wide over 1,000 ferries could be converted. The Leclanché MRS could also be used in other marine applications including hybridization and peak shaving of auxiliary loads of cargo vessels and cruise ships. In 2015 the global marine hybrid propulsion market was valued at US$2,6bn. It is expected to reach US$5,2bn by 2024, representing a CAGR of 8.2 per cent from 2016 to 2024.

About Leclanché

Headquartered in Switzerland, Leclanché SA is a leading provider of high-quality energy storage solutions designed to accelerate our progress towards a clean energy future. Leclanché’s history and heritage is rooted in over 100 years of battery and energy storage innovation and the Company is a trusted provider of energy storage solutions globally. This coupled with the Company’s culture of German engineering and Swiss precision and quality, continues to make Leclanché the partner of choice for both disruptors, established companies and governments who are pioneering positive changes in how energy is produced, distributed and consumed around the world. The energy transition is being driven primarily by changes in the management of our electricity networks and the electrification of transport, and these two end markets form the backbone of our strategy and business model. Leclanché is at the heart of the convergence of the electrification of transport and the changes in the distribution network. Leclanché is the only listed pure play energy storage company in the world, organised along three business units: stationary storage solutions, e-Transport solutions and specialty batteries systems. Leclanché is listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX: LECN).

SIX Swiss Exchange: ticker symbol LECN | ISIN CH 011 030 311 9

Disclaimer

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to Leclanché’s business, which can be identified by terminology such as “strategic”, “proposes”, “to introduce”, “will”, “planned”, “expected”, “commitment”, “expects”, “set”, “preparing”, “plans”, “estimates”, “aims”, “would”, “potential”, “awaiting”, “estimated”, “proposal”, or similar expressions, or by expressed or implied discussions regarding the ramp up of Leclanché’s production capacity, potential applications for existing products, or regarding potential future revenues from any such products, or potential future sales or earnings of Leclanché or any of its business units. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of Leclanché regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no guarantee that Leclanché’s products will achieve any particular revenue levels. Nor can there be any guarantee that Leclanché, or any of the business units, will achieve any particular financial results.

Contacts Leclanché

Media Switzerland /Europe:

Thierry Meyer

T: +41 (0) 79 785 35 81

E-mail: tme@dynamicsgroup.ch

Media North America:

Henry Feintuch / Ashley Blas

T: +1-914-548-6924 / +1-509-494-4053

E-mail: leclanche@feintuchpr.com  

Media Germany:

Christoph Miller

T: +49 (0) 711 947 670

E-mail: leclanche@sympra.de

Investor Contacts:

Anil Srivastava / Hubert Angleys

T: +41 (0) 24 424 65 00

E-mail: invest.leclanche@leclanche.com