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Ideal Power Inc. announced the successful completion of its qualification of the Company’s second wafer fabrication supplier with high-volume production capability. This facility in Europe adds dual sourcing for wafer fabrication and will support future revenue growth, providing ample capacity to support anticipated customer demand over at least the next two to three years.
“We are delighted to announce this key milestone of qualifying a second high-volume wafer foundry to provide wafer fabrication for our products. This fab successfully completed a multi-wafer full process flow engineering run of double-sided B-TRAN™ wafers. By leveraging our proprietary and proven process flow, this foundry was able to produce functional, bidirectional devices on their initial run without the need for special equipment or capital investment,” said Dan Brdar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Power.
European wafer fabrication supplier highlights:
- This supplier, along with our previously qualified wafer fabricator in Asia, provides dual sourcing for wafer fabrication in disparate geographies with no exposure to China or Taiwan to mitigate supply chain risk.
- Demonstrated expertise in commercial manufacturing of high power, bipolar devices such as IGBTs. This expertise provides proven process recipes, capability and equipment that can be readily used or adapted for B-TRAN™ double-sided wafer fabrication.
- Qualified manufacturer of semiconductor wafers to multiple Tier 1 automotive suppliers. This will help Ideal Power to attract and engage prospective automotive OEMs and Tier 1 automotive suppliers as customers.
- ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified to globally recognized standards for quality and environmental management systems.
Ideal Power’s patented semiconductor power switch, B-TRAN™, can reduce power losses by 50% or more over conventional power switches, depending on the application. B-TRAN™’s higher efficiency results in less heat being generated and therefore significantly lower thermal management requirements, requiring significantly smaller surface area to dissipate heat and giving rise to potentially smaller original equipment manufacturer products.
B-TRAN™ offers the industry’s only symmetric bidirectional operation, reducing the number of components required for an application by 75% compared to a conventional bidirectional switch utilizing IGBTs and diodes. This highly efficient and unique symmetric operation provides a strong competitive advantage in bidirectional applications, which are growing rapidly as transportation electrifies and power generation shifts to renewable energy coupled with energy storage.
Original – Ideal Power
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Ideal Power Inc. reported results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2024.
“Commercial momentum continues as we commenced shipments of SymCool™ power modules to fulfill customer orders in the first quarter. We expect industrial markets, particularly the solid-state circuit breaker market served by our SymCool™ power module, to be the earliest source of our sales ramp,” said Dan Brdar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Power.
“In addition, all of our Phase II deliverables with Stellantis were successfully completed ahead of schedule and we added our first distributor, Richardson Electronics. They placed multiple orders with Ideal Power including an order from a company not previously in our sales funnel.”
Key First Quarter and Recent Business Highlights
Execution to B-TRAN™ commercial roadmap continues, including:
- Commenced commercial shipment of SymCool™ power modules to fulfill customer orders. The SymCool™ power module targets several applications including solid-state switchgear and circuit protection, renewable energy inverters for solar and wind, industrial inverters, hybrid and electric vehicles (“EVs”) and EV charging.
- Received an order for SymCool™ power modules and drivers from one of the two Forbes Global 500 leaders in diverse power management markets in Ideal Power’s B-TRAN™ test and evaluation program. This global power management market leader is evaluating SymCool™ against IGBT modules for use in solid-state circuit breaker (“SSCB”) applications.
- Received an order for B-TRAN™ devices and a circuit breaker evaluation board from a global leader in power semiconductor and power electronics solutions in connection with its launch of a multi-year DC power distribution system program. This global leader presents multiple opportunities as it addresses several of our target industrial markets: SSCBs, industrial and grid infrastructure and renewable energy.
- Successfully completed Phase II of a product development program with Stellantis, a top 10 global automaker. All Phase II deliverables were completed ahead of schedule including a wafer run and deliveries of tested B-TRAN™ devices, drivers and a Stellantis approved comprehensive reliability test plan for automotive qualification. Ideal Power is partnering with Stellantis’ advanced technology development team to develop a custom B-TRAN™ power module for use in EV drivetrain inverters in Stellantis’ next generation EV platform.
- Added the first distributor, Richardson Electronics, for discrete B-TRAN™ device and SymCool™ power modules. Richardson Electronics placed multiple orders with Ideal Power including an order from a company not previously in Ideal Power’s sales funnel.
- Added a global leader in circuit protection, industrial fuses and power conversion technology with over a billion in annual sales to the roster of the B-TRAN™ test and evaluation program.
- Released B-TRAN™ and SymCool™ videos and application notes for the technical audience at prospective customers, resulting in the addition of new opportunities to the sales funnel. The videos demonstrate the testing of discrete B-TRAN™ devices and SymCool™ power modules and the compelling advantages B-TRAN™ offers to SSCB applications.
- Nearing completion of a qualification run with the second high-volume wafer fabrication partner. This wafer fab in Europe will support future revenue growth and add dual sourcing for wafer fabrication.
- B-TRAN™ Patent Estate: Currently at 86 issued B-TRAN™ patents with 39 of those issued outside of the United States and 41 pending B-TRAN™ patents. Current geographic coverage includes North America, China, Japan, South Korea, India, and Europe, with pending coverage in Taiwan.
First Quarter 2024 Financial Results
- Completed a public offering, raising net proceeds of $15.7 million. The initial closing in late March resulted in net proceeds of $13.7 million and the exercise of the underwriter’s overallotment option in April resulted in additional net proceeds of $2.0 million.
- Commercial revenue increased to $78,739 in the first quarter of 2024 from $0 in the first quarter of 2023.
- Operating expenses in the first quarter of 2024 were $2.5 million compared to $2.6 million in the first quarter of 2023.
- Net loss in the first quarter of 2024 was $2.5 million compared to $2.5 million in the first quarter of 2023.
- Cash used in operating, investing and financing activities in the first quarter of 2024, excluding the net proceeds from the public offering, was $1.9 million compared to $1.8 million in the first quarter of 2023 and down from $2.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2023.
- Cash and cash equivalents totaled $20.2 million at March 31, 2024.
- No long-term debt was outstanding at March 31, 2024.
2024 Milestones
For 2024, the Company has set or achieved the following milestones:
- Successfully completed Phase II of development program with Stellantis
- Secure Phase III of development program with Stellantis
- Complete qualification of second high-volume production fab
- Convert large OEMs in test and evaluation program to design wins/custom development agreements
- Add distributors for SymCool™ products
- Initial sales of SymCool™ IQ intelligent power module
- Begin third-party automotive qualification testing
Original – Ideal Power
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Ideal Power Inc. announced a global leader in circuit protection, industrial fuses and power conversion electronics with over a billion in annual sales entered into an agreement with Ideal Power to test and evaluate B-TRAN™ power semiconductors for circuit protection in industrial markets including industrial fuses, renewable energy and energy storage power conversion, rail/transportation, and electric vehicle (“EV”) power management.
“We are excited to collaborate with a global leader in circuit protection, industrial fuses and power conversion technology interested in B-TRAN™ as an enabling technology,” said Dan Brdar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Power. “This global supplier presents multiple opportunities for us as they address several of our target markets. We look forward to gathering their feedback on their application-specific requirements to drive our product roadmap and to potentially secure design wins and/or a customer development agreement with them.”
Circuit protection is required for renewable energy grid interfaces and EV power connections. B-TRAN™ technology has clear advantages in applications including EV power transfer, DC microgrids, energy storage systems and railway substations. These applications require fast-acting circuit protection to minimize electrical faults. In addition, B-TRAN™-based circuit protection also provides dramatically lower conduction losses and bidirectional capability thereby enabling greater efficiency while simultaneously lowering component count and system costs.
Ideal Power’s patented semiconductor power switch, B-TRAN™, can reduce power losses by 50% or more over conventional power switches, depending on the application. B-TRAN™’s higher efficiency results in less heat being generated and therefore significantly lower thermal management requirements, requiring significantly smaller surface area to dissipate heat and giving rise to potentially smaller original equipment manufacturer products. B-TRAN™ offers the industry’s only symmetric bidirectional operation, reducing the number of components required for an application by 75% compared to a conventional bidirectional switch utilizing IGBTs and diodes.
This highly efficient and unique symmetric operation provides a strong competitive advantage in bidirectional applications, which are growing rapidly as transportation electrifies and power generation shifts to renewable energy coupled with energy storage. For more information on B-TRAN™, visit here.
Ideal Power plans to continue adding potential customers to the test and evaluation program. The program is expected to remain an embedded process in the Company’s sales and marketing effort and a source of input for its next generation of products. The Company’s outreach continues to generate significant new interest resulting in inquiries from potential customers about B-TRAN™, the SymCool™ power module, the SymCool™ IQ intelligent power module and participation in the test and evaluation program.
Original – Ideal Power
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Ideal Power Inc. announced that the company received an order for SymCool™ power modules and drivers from one of the two Forbes Global 500 leaders in diverse power management markets in Ideal Power’s B-TRAN™ test and evaluation program.
“We are delighted to announce this power management market leader in our test and evaluation program is now ordering SymCool™ power modules. This global customer is evaluating SymCool™ for use in its bidirectional solid-state circuit breaker products for diverse industrial markets,” stated Dan Brdar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Power.
“Strong momentum continues, and we look forward to design wins and/or custom development agreements for solid-state circuit breaker applications in industrial markets. We expect industrial markets to be the earliest source of our sales ramp beginning in the second half of 2024.”
This global power management market leader is evaluating SymCool™ against IGBT modules for use in solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) applications. The order for SymCool™ power modules follows the customer’s testing of discrete B-TRAN™ devices as part of the B-TRAN™ test and evaluation program.
Testing confirmed that the B-TRAN™ technology packaged into the multi-die SymCool™ power module has significantly lower conduction losses compared to conventional power semiconductors such as IGBTs, an advantage that is even more pronounced in bidirectional applications. In addition to energy savings, this improved efficiency also results in lower cost and less complex cooling systems, benefits that significantly impact the economics of OEM products such as SSCBs.
In response to this customer’s requests, Ideal Power provided high-volume quotes for SymCool™ power modules. This customer may also evaluate our technology for its other power conversion applications.
Original – Ideal Power
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LATEST NEWSIdeal Power Receives Order from Global Leader in Power Semiconductor and Power Electronics Solutions
April 10, 2024
2 Min ReadIdeal Power Inc. received a purchase order from a global leader in power semiconductor and power electronics solutions. The customer purchased B-TRAN™ devices and a circuit breaker evaluation board and is collaborating with Ideal Power on a solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) design in connection with its launch of a multi-year DC power distribution system program.
For SSCB applications, B-TRAN™ technology has clear advantages for SSCBs, providing dramatically lower conduction losses, lower costs, and bidirectionality compared to electromechanical breakers and IGBT and silicon carbide MOSFET-based SSCBs.
“We are excited to collaborate with global leaders interested in B-TRAN™ as an enabling technology for SSCBs,” said Dan Brdar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Power. “This specific customer presents multiple opportunities for us as they address several of our target markets including SSCBs, industrial and grid infrastructure and renewable energy.”
Ideal Power’s patented semiconductor power switch, B-TRAN™, can reduce power losses by 50% or more over conventional power switches, depending on the application. B-TRAN™’s higher efficiency results in less heat being generated and therefore significantly lower thermal management requirements, requiring significantly smaller surface area to dissipate heat and giving rise to potentially smaller original equipment manufacturer products.
B-TRAN™ offers the industry’s only symmetric bidirectional operation, reducing the number of components required for an application by 75% compared to a conventional bidirectional switch utilizing IGBTs and diodes. This highly efficient and unique symmetric operation provides a strong competitive advantage in bidirectional applications, which are growing rapidly as transportation electrifies and power generation shifts to renewable energy coupled with energy storage.
Original – Ideal Power
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Ideal Power Inc. announced the closing of its previously announced underwritten public offering of 2,000,000 shares of its common stock (or pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) at an offering price of $7.50 per share of common stock.
Titan Partners Group, a division of American Capital Partners, acted as sole book-running manager for the offering.
The gross proceeds to the Company from the offering were approximately $15 million, before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and other estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate and working capital purposes.
The offering was made pursuant to an effective “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-269060) previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on December 29, 2022, and declared effective by the SEC on January 9, 2023. A final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to and describing the terms of the offering were filed with the SEC on March 27, 2024.
Electronic copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the offering, may be obtained by visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by contacting Titan Partners Group LLC, a division of American Capital Partners, LLC, 4 World Trade Center, 29th Floor, New York, New York 10007, by phone at (929) 833-1246 or by email at prospectus@titanpartnersgrp.com.
Original – Ideal Power
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Ideal Power Inc. announced that it has priced its previously announced underwritten public offering of 2,000,000 shares of its common stock (or pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) at an offering price of $7.50 per share of common stock. Ideal Power has granted the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to 300,000 additional shares of its common stock on the same terms and conditions. The Company expects to close the offering on March 28, 2024, subject to customary conditions.
Titan Partners Group, a division of American Capital Partners, is acting as sole book-running manager for the offering.
The gross proceeds to the Company from the offering are expected to be approximately $15 million, before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and other estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate and working capital purposes.
The offering is being made pursuant to an effective “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-269060) previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on December 29, 2022, and declared effective by the SEC on January 9, 2023.
The securities may be offered only by means of a prospectus and prospectus supplement that form a part of the registration statement. A preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to and describing the terms of the offering have been filed with the SEC. The final terms of the offering will be disclosed in a final prospectus supplement to be filed with the SEC.
Electronic copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the offering, when available, may be obtained by visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by contacting Titan Partners Group, LLC, a division of American Capital Partners, LLC, 4 World Trade Center, 29th Floor, New York, New York 10007, by phone at (929) 833-1246 or by email at prospectus@titanpartnersgrp.com.
Original – Ideal Power
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Ideal Power Inc. announced an agreement with Richardson Electronics, Ltd. (RELL) for the global distribution of Ideal Power’s products including the discrete B-TRAN™ device and SymCool™ power module.
“We are excited to announce Richardson Electronics as the first distributor for our products. They have strong technical sales capability, expertise in demand creation and securing sales for new technologies, robust customer support, and global reach. Our products are a perfect fit for Richardson Electronics’ existing customer base needing medium and high voltage power semiconductors,” said Dan Brdar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Power.
“We are very excited to work with Ideal Power to bring their products to market worldwide. For years, Richardson has developed an excellent portfolio of Technology Partners for power management components and engineered solutions,” said Greg Peloquin, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Power & Microwave Technologies and Green Energy Solutions groups.
“Ideal Power’s products are an innovative and complementary addition to this portfolio, providing low loss and inherently bidirectional power semiconductors to customers globally for use in a wide variety of industrial applications.”
Ideal Power recently commenced shipment of its SymCool™ power modules to fulfill customer orders. The SymCool™ power module delivers clear advantages for several applications, including solid-state switchgear and circuit protection, renewable energy inverters for solar and wind, industrial inverters, hybrid and electric vehicles (“EVs”), and EV charging.
Ideal Power looks forward to industrial markets, particularly the solid-state circuit breaker market served by our SymCool™ power module, to be the earliest source of our sales ramp beginning in the second half of 2024, as expected.
Ideal Power utilizes an asset-light business model leveraging the large investment already made in the silicon processing, distribution, demand creation and support infrastructure. This business model allows the Company to focus on the further development of its disruptive B-TRAN™ technology while minimizing capital requirements.
Original – Ideal Power
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Ideal Power Inc. reported the results for its fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023.
“We made great progress delivering against our B-TRAN™ commercial roadmap in 2023 and that progress has continued into 2024,” said Dan Brdar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Power. “Strong momentum continues with participants in our test and evaluation program, particularly for solid-state circuit breaker and hybrid and electric vehicle applications. We expect to convert large OEMs into design wins and/or additional custom development agreements this year.”
Brdar continued, “We recently completed Phase II of our development agreement with Stellantis and commenced shipment of SymCool™ power modules to fulfill customer orders. We expect industrial markets, particularly the solid-state circuit breaker market served by our SymCool™ power module, to be the earliest source of our product sales ramp.”
Key Fourth Quarter and Recent Operational Highlights
- Commenced commercial shipment of SymCool™ power modules to fulfill customer orders. The SymCool™ power module targets several applications including solid-state switchgear and circuit protection, renewable energy inverters for solar and wind, industrial inverters, hybrid and electric vehicles (“EVs”) and EV charging.
- Successfully completed Phase II of a product development program with Stellantis, a top 10 global automaker. All Phase II deliverables were completed ahead of schedule including a wafer run and deliveries of tested B-TRAN™ devices, drivers and a Stellantis approved comprehensive reliability test plan for automotive qualification. Ideal Power is partnering with Stellantis’ advanced technology development team to develop a custom B-TRAN™ power module for use in EV drivetrain inverters in Stellantis’ next generation EV platform.
- Stellantis recognized Ideal Power and its program with Stellantis as a finalist in the 2023 Stellantis Venture Awards, which was the result of the excellent performance of the commercial B-TRAN™ devices provided to the Stellantis team for testing and evaluation.
- Released B-TRAN™ and SymCool™ videos and application notes for the technical audience at prospective customers, resulting in the addition of new opportunities to our sales funnel. The videos demonstrate the testing of discrete B-TRAN™ devices and SymCool™ power modules and the compelling advantages B-TRAN™ offers to solid-state circuit breaker applications.
- Nearing completion of a qualification run with our second high-volume wafer fabrication partner. This wafer fab in Europe will support future revenue growth and add dual sourcing for wafer fabrication.
- B-TRAN™ Patent Estate: Currently at 82 issued B-TRAN™ patents with 36 of those issued outside of the United States and 39 pending B-TRAN™ patents. Current geographic coverage includes North America, China, Japan, South Korea, India, and Europe, with pending coverage in Taiwan.
Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial Results
- Commercial revenue increased to $61,483 in the fourth quarter of 2023 from $0 in the fourth quarter of 2022. Commercial revenue increased to $161,483 for the full year 2023 from $0 for the full year 2022.
- Grant revenue was $0 in the fourth quarter of 2023 and $37,388 for the full year 2023 compared to $16,608 in the fourth quarter of 2022 and $203,269 for the full year 2022.
- Operating expenses in the fourth quarter of 2023 were $2.5 million compared to $2.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 driven primarily by higher research and development spending.
- Operating expenses in the full year 2023 were $10.4 million compared to $7.3 million in the full year 2022 driven primarily by higher research and development spending and stock-based compensation expense.
- Net loss in the fourth quarter of 2023 was $2.4 million compared to $1.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2022. Net loss in the full year 2023 was $10.0 million compared to $7.2 million in the full year 2022.
- Cash used in operating, investing and financing activities in the fourth quarter of 2023 was $2.3 million compared to $2.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2022. Cash used in operating, investing and financing activities in the full year 2023 was $7.9 million compared to $6.8 million in the full year 2022.
- Cash and cash equivalents totaled $8.5 million at December 31, 2023.
- No long-term debt was outstanding at December 31, 2023.
2024 Milestones
For 2024, the Company has set or achieved the following milestones:
- Successfully completed Phase II of development program with Stellantis
- Secure Phase III of development program with Stellantis
- Complete qualification of second high-volume production fab
- Convert large OEMs in our test and evaluation program to design wins/custom development agreements
- Add distributors for SymCool™ products
- Initial sales of SymCool™ IQ intelligent power module
- Begin third-party automotive qualification testing
Original – Ideal Power
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Ideal Power Inc. announced the successful completion of Phase II deliverables of a product development agreement with Stellantis, a top 10 global automaker.
Ideal Power is partnering with Stellantis’ advanced technology development team to develop a custom B-TRAN™ power module for use in electric vehicle (“EV”) drivetrain inverters in Stellantis’ next generation EV platform. Due to its compelling advantages, B-TRAN™ is also being evaluated for the automaker’s vehicle power management and EV charging ecosystem.
All Phase I deliverables were successfully completed including a wafer run and delivery of packaged and tested B-TRAN™ devices and test boards to both Stellantis and the program’s packaging company. Ideal Power also provided technical support, device characterization and test data to Stellantis on B-TRAN™ performance and related drive circuitry. The B-TRAN™ devices delivered to Stellantis outperformed the device performance specifications provided to Stellantis at the beginning of the program.
All Phase II deliverables were successfully completed ahead of schedule including a wafer run and delivery of tested B-TRAN™ devices and drivers to both the program’s packaging company and the organization building the initial drivetrain inverter. In Phase II, Ideal Power collaborated closely with Stellantis and the program partners to supply B-TRAN™ devices for integration into the custom power module and inverter designs.
The device testing results by the Stellantis program team validated the expected efficiency improvements anticipated from B-TRAN™ use in the drivetrain and its readiness for implementation in EV applications. Stellantis also approved the comprehensive reliability test plan for automotive qualification provided by Ideal Power.
Phase III builds on the completion of all Phase I and II deliverables and therefore transitions to Stellantis’ production team. Ideal Power and Stellantis are currently finalizing the scope of work for the next phase of the program. This phase is expected to include the extensive testing of the custom B-TRAN™ module to meet automotive certification standards enabling B-TRAN™ to be the core of the powertrain inverter for the automaker’s next-generation EVs. The objective of this phase is the completion and certification of a production-ready B-TRAN™-based module and is targeted for 2025.
“We’re thrilled with the success of both Phase I and II and advancement into the next phase of the program with Stellantis. Successful completion of Phases I and II were customer validation of the performance of B-TRAN™ and its potential impact in improving EV range and cost,” said Dan Brdar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Power. “We are leveraging our success with Stellantis to attract and engage other automobile OEMs and Tier 1 auto suppliers.”
This program represents Ideal Power’s second engagement with the world’s leading automotive manufacturers as another top 10 global automaker is already in company’s test and evaluation program.
Original – Ideal Power
