Polar Power Achieves Key Milestone in Its Solar Hybrid Systems and DC Generators for Telecom, Residential and Commercial with EPA Certification of its Toyota 1KS Natural Gas / LPG Engine

GARDENA, Calif., Jan. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Polar Power, Inc. (NASDAQ: POLA), a global provider of prime, backup and solar hybrid DC power solutions announced it has received certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Toyota 1KS natural gas and LPG engines used in Polar’s DC power systems.

As part of Polar Power’s ongoing diversification strategy, the company has been working to introduce lower emission, fuel efficient prime power and solar hybrid power systems targeting telecom, residential and commercial markets in sub 40 kw microgrid applications. Polar’s engineering team has worked for over twelve months to integrate proprietary control technology with a long-life Toyota engine and Bosch engine controls designed to address the growing market for prime power, CHP and backup power needs worldwide. Polar is currently the only US company to achieve EPA certification for this Toyota 1KS engine that operates on natural gas and LPG (liquid petroleum gas refers to propane or combinations of propane and butane gases).

In the 1980’s this .952-liter Toyota engine was first developed by Daihatsu to run 24/7 for natural gas fueled heat pumps (GHP) used for air-conditioning and heating (HVAC). The GHP products were created in response to a Japanese government mandate that HVAC installations operated off the natural gas grid as opposed to the electric grid. This application in Japan has been very successful due to the high fuel efficiency, low maintenance and very long engine life. Polar, from 1998 to 2006, had purchased this Daihatsu engine through US distribution and incorporated it into its solar hybrid and prime power systems for residential and telecom markets. Toyota purchased Daihatsu in 1999 and eventually stopped its exports of these engines to the US. Polar dropped its sales efforts to residential markets but continued offering prime and backup generators using a Kubota engine for its telecom customers. Since acquiring Daihatsu in 1999 Toyota has made a significant improvement to the engine platform, including an electric carburetor and a further reduction in oil maintenance.

“We are excited to reach this key step in our growth strategy and diversification plan,” said Arthur Sams, Polar Power’s CEO. “We believe the growing demand for electric vehicle charging and HVAC will lead to more homes and businesses needing upgrades in electric power service, which is likely to exacerbate the problem of energy shortages and blackouts. Our CHP, natural gas vehicle chargers, and solar hybrid systems can solve the needs of many residences and small businesses without the potential high costs of utility service upgrades. Microgrids and distributed energy generation (DEG) is gaining mindshare and market share around the world driven by improving economics relative to utility power and better reliability. We believe our immediate opportunities are in applications demanding compelling economics, reliability and performance and based on these attributes Polar’s entrance into the sub 40 kW prime power market product should have little competition. There are very few manufactures providing a solution that has smaller footprint, lower noise levels, reduced maintenance, less fuel consumption and lower emissions. With tightening pollution requirements, we expect clean LPG and natural gas will over time replace diesel products in most stationary prime power generation applications. Having under 40 kW prime power generators that operate on natural gas and LPG gives us a competitive advantage over the many generators manufactures that do not offer LPG or natural gas generators in the smaller size ranges.”