CityLink Signs on as First Public Transit Customer of Firefly Energy Battery Technology

Firefly Energy announced today that its advanced technology battery will be used in public transit for the first time. CityLink, the mass transit provider for the greater Peoria area, has signed on as the company's first public transportation customer. Firefly and CityLink are hosting a joint press conference at CityLink headquarters in Peoria at 2:00 p.m. today to witness the first battery installation.

In its initial roll-out, CityLink has purchased 36 of Firefly's patented microcell foam Group 31 batteries, known as the Oasis. The batteries will equip nine CityLink buses, replacing traditional batteries that have a much shorter life on the new technologically-sophisticated buses that CityLink employs in its fleet.

“CityLink is excited to be the first bus company in the nation to experience the advantages of the new Firefly Oasis battery,” said Tom Lucek, General Manager. “Like modern automobiles and trucks, our newer buses have many more onboard electronic systems which are increasingly putting stress on our traditionally-utilized batteries. Keeping our buses running optimally is imperative in serving our riders, and so is saving on maintenance costs. We're looking forward to powering-up our buses with Firefly,” Lucek concluded.

“Making all of our vehicles—be they cars, trucks, or buses—more energy efficient is a national imperative,” said Mil Ovan, Sr. VP and Co-Founder of Firefly Energy. “The fulfillment of this objective requires both advanced battery technology and enlightened customers who want to be at the forefront of vehicle efficiency. We're therefore delighted to be deploying our Oasis batteries on CityLink buses as our first step toward bringing 21st century battery technology to the world of metropolitan transit buses.”

Firefly's advanced battery technology comprises the use of lightweight, non corroding and non sulfating microcell foam plates to replace the heavy non conductive lead metal plates typical of traditional lead acid batteries. The result is that the Oasis battery’s performance and reliability rise dramatically, making these advanced batteries more attractive in terms of total cost-of-ownership compared to the more frequent costs incurred in replacing traditional lead acid batteries. This makes the Oasis battery a much more prudent option for bus companies.

The wide-ranging hot and cold weather in Central Illinois presents challenges to all modes of ground transportation, including CityLink’s bus lines. Battery life is severely reduced, and when the temperature dips below zero, this leads to more frequent no-starts. Firefly’s battery has a much higher tolerance for weather extremes, making transportation more reliable.

CityLink also employs many more electronics on its bus line, compared to buses previously operated. This is taxing on traditional batteries because the many onboard electronics keeps batteries in a constant partial state-of-charge. This leads to sulfation or “memory,” which is detrimental to a battery – causing decreased battery run times, and dramatically reducing its lifespan. The Oasis battery, with its microcell foam technology, eliminates this sulfation problem, hence providing ample reserve power and much longer cycle life.

For more information on Firefly Energy and its Oasis battery, visit www.FireflyEnergy.com. For more information on CityLink, please visit http://www.ridecitylink.org.

About CityLink (www.ridecitylink.org)

The Greater Peoria Mass Transit District (CityLink) was formed in 1970 by a vote from area residents. At that time the federal government gave Peoria a grant to purchase new buses (33 to start). Currently CityLink has 56 vehicles and serves transportation to eight communities on 22 routes. 12,000 rides are provided daily. Tom Lucek, General Manager for the past two years is leading CityLink into the future with proposed stimulus packages and grants.

About Firefly Energy (www.fireflyenergy.com):

Firefly Energy Inc. (“Firefly”) is a Peoria, Illinois-based battery technology company developing a portfolio of lead-acid battery technologies and products to enhance performance within major portions of the $30 billion worldwide battery marketplace. The company’s first applied technology is a microcell foam-based battery technology, which can deliver a unique combination of high performance, low weight and low cost, all within a battery that unleashes the full power potential of lead acid chemistry while overcoming its performance drawbacks. Firefly’s battery products and their patented microcell technology deliver to battery markets a level of performance achieved with advanced battery chemistries (Nickel Metal Hydride and Lithium) but at one-fifth the cost. Firefly’s microcell battery products can be manufactured as well as recycled within the existing lead acid battery industry’s vast infrastructure. Firefly is backed by multi-billion-dollar product companies such as Caterpillar (www.cat.com, NYSE: CAT), BAE Systems (www.baesystems.com) (London Stock Exchange over the counter symbol: BAESY), and Husqvarna (www.husqvarna.com, other OTC: HSQVY.PK). Additional investors include Chicago-area Venture Capital firm KB Partners (www.kbpartners.com), Quercus Trust, Khosla Ventures (www.khoslaventures.com), Infield Capital and the Illinois Finance Authority.