NEW CASTLE, Pa. , Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Axion Power International, Inc. (OTCQB: AXPW), the developer of advanced lead-carbon PbC® batteries and energy storage systems, announced that its Director of Research & Development, Dr Enders Dickinson, presented a paper on automotive micro-hybrids and hybrid locomotives on September 27 at the European Lead Battery Conference in Paris.

"Axion PbC® Batteries in Emerging Applications: Micro-hybrids, Hybrid Locomotives, and Battery Energy Storage Systems" reviewed the basis for PbC batteries' high/sustained dynamic charge acceptance and its importance to micro-hybrid vehicles. Axion has been working with several major automotive OEMs on projects associated with micro-hybrid automobiles and trucks. The presentation also dealt with the self-equalization of PbC modules in string applications that results in lower system and maintenance costs. Dr Dickinson emphasized that the total absence of plate sulfation in PbC batteries, which have no-lead pure-carbon anodes, is a critical differentiator in comparisons with traditional or advanced VRLA lead-acid batteries.

Dr Dickinson also said that the self-equalization of PbC batteries in strings contribute to the suitability of PbC for hybrid locomotives. Axion Power has a purchase order to supply batteries to Norfolk Southern for its first purely battery-powered locomotive. The string equalization advantage also plays a significant role in the adoption of the PbC battery for grid-connected energy storage subsystems such as the Axion Power Cube™ introduced to the marketplace in November of 2011.