RELION LITHIUM BATTERIES

This issue’s Company Profile features RELiON Battery. Lithiumion batteries are taking over as the power choice for golf carts. RELiON Battery has emerged as one of the lithium leaders and we are delighted to have visited with them to bring you some inside-information.

Company Name: RELiON Battery Company Website: Relionbattery.com Company Headquarters: Rock Hill, SC

GCMAG:Tell us what RELiON Battery is all about? RELiON: We manufacture and sell drop-in replacement lithium ion phosphate batteries for many deep cycle battery needs. Applications include RVs, marine craft, and most recently golf cars. We focused our engineering and design team over the last two years to develop a golf car/EV battery that could simply be dropped into existing golf cars without needing to change anything in the car. Our tagline, “Challenge Your Limits”, reflects our philosophy. We like to say you will run out of adventure before you run out of power. We want sports and outdoor enthusiasts to challenge their limits, without worrying if their battery can keep up with them.

GCMAG: Who is the owner of RELiON? RELiON: Paul Hecimovich

GCMAG: Can you give us a little background? How and when did your company start? RELiON: RELiON CEO, Paul Hecimovich, started in the leadacid battery distribution business with Carolina Energy Distributors in Fort Mill, SC. With a 25-year history, the

company was very successful, but there was an opportunity to go beyond lead-acid batteries as the interest of lithium battery technology was rising given the many advantages of lithium over lead-acid. Several other key members of the CED team saw the trend too. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity to manufacture LiFePo4 batteries and apply them to lead-acid battery applications. From there, RELiON Battery was born. What started with just a few battery industry veterans, turned into the worldwide company we are today. We are now in our fifth year in business with locations in Shenzhen, China, Seattle, and Charlotte. We have a worldwide distribution and a team of over 30 with over 190 years of combined battery experience.

GCMAG: Wow that is impressive. How many employees do you have? Tell us about your team. RELiON: We have a worldwide distribution and a team of over 30 individuals. Our team members include Engineering, Marketing, Customer Service, Technical Support, Product Management and Sales.

GCMAG: How do you promote your business? RELiON: Mostly online. We sell our batteries direct to consumer on our website. We have a sales team that handles the commercial business. We do some print and are very active on social media.

GCMAG: What is the most important business lesson you learned? RELiON: As CEO of RELiON, the experienced and dedicated team we have is what truly sets us apart. I am proud of our technology but equally proud of the team we have assembled. A team with expertise and experience in the battery industry and people that aren’t afraid to push their own limits.

We are very deliberate and thoughtful about who we hire and how they will fit our culture. They all have a customer-first mindset and are dedicated to helping customers with their battery needs, whether it is a distributor or end-customer. Our team has circled the globe to educate and train customers on the many feature and benefits of RELiON batteries. GCMAG: What is the future for RELiON Battery? RELiON: The lithium battery market is growing rapidly. We were one of the first lithium battery companies and started because we saw that the demand for this technology was going to happen. Now we are in the thick of it and are setting ourselves apart through our ability to develop unique products because of our 20+ year experience in the battery world. Our team is comprised of people that have been in the battery industry for years. We noticed a demand for golf cart batteries with lithium technology and received a lot of requests. Every other solution had limitations, so we knew there was a need for a true lithium golf cart battery. We invested heavily in engineering and product development to develop a solution to the problems we were seeing in this market. Through strategic partnerships and a focus on product development, we were able to make our InSight Series unlike any other lithium solution available. The first in the series is our 48V model that was specifically designed as the optimal golf car battery solution; superior to lead-acid batteries and other lithium battery options. The fact that this battery is a drop in and go replacement solution combined with the intelligent BMS means golfers can focus on their game, not their battery. More InSight Series batteries will be released later this year.

GCMAG: We are certainly excited to see the new InSight Series batteries. We appreciate you taking the time to talk with us. Is there anything else you’d like to add? RELiON: RELiON is more than a manufacturer of lithium batteries. We are stewards of our environment and communities. We have a program we call Limitless Blue where we use our business as a force for good in everything we do. We are part of an organization called 1% for the Planet where we pledge to donate 1% of revenue each year directly to environmental organizations working to defend our air, land, and water around the world.

GCMAG: That’s terrific. Good for you! Thanks again for taking the time to share with us and our readers.