GNB Industrial Power, a Division of Exide Technologies, LLC, was recently awarded a delivery order for five additional stationary back-up power battery banks for the U.S. Navy’s Los Angeles-class submarines. The award is part of the latest five-year contract awarded to Exide by the Department of Defense for main storage lead-acid battery systems for the U.S. Navy’s fleet of submarines. The contract is a continuation of contract awards going back to 2005 in support of the U.S. Navy’s transition from classic wet lead-acid technology to SVRLA AGM technology.
“GNB Industrial Power is pleased to earn the award for five back-up battery power systems from the U.S. Navy,” said Tim Vargo, Chairman, President and CEO of Exide Technologies. “We value our long partnership with the U.S. Navy, which is built on their confidence in our ability to supply high-quality, top-performing batteries that are critical to meeting the energy storage requirements of today’s modern U.S. submarine fleet.”
By design, GNB’s Absolyte VRLA AGM technology is a good fit for submarine applications and is cost-effective with proven performance. The SVRLA batteries eliminate the need for periodic watering of cells and eliminate air agitation required for wet cells, resulting in almost maintenance-free batteries with basically no gassing in the battery wells since the cells are sealed. The batteries have a design life of several years and provide life cycle performance according to U.S. Navy specifications. GNB will deliver the batteries to the U.S. Navy starting in the fall of 2020 through the summer of 2021.
With 41 ships on active duty, the Los Angeles (SSN 688)-class submarines are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s submarine fleet. These nuclear-powered submarines feature improved sound quieting and are reported to be faster than other submarine classes. The submarines are equipped with a back-up propulsion system consisting of a diesel generator and a bank of batteries to provide emergency electrical power.
About Exide Technologies
Headquartered in Milton, Georgia, Exide Technologies, LLC operates in 80 countries with more than 8,000 employees. Exide produces a range of battery and energy storage systems and specialty applications for the Transportation, Network Power and Motive Power markets and industries including agricultural, automotive, electric, light and heavy-duty truck, marine, materials handling, military, mining, power-sport, railroad, security, telecommunications, utility and uninterruptible power supply (UPS), among others. As one of the world’s largest secondary recyclers, the company is committed to environmental sustainability.