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What a Bag of Chips Taught Me About Optima's Battery Tech at Pikes Peak
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Elizabeth Blackstock But first things first: Why is racing relevant to a company like Optima Batteries? Tom Downie, vice president of communications at Clarios (which owns Optima Batteries), explained just that. Motorsport 'gives us a chance to push some of our products more than the average consumer might, and all of that [research and development] goes into our regular products.' This approach may include not only appealing to performance-oriented aftermarket customers who want to upgrade their stock equipment, but also monitoring how OEMs are developing certain elements of their machines through racing and pitching Optima products to them if their technology falls short. Elizabeth Blackstock, Optima From a sales angle, that makes sense. But to understand what, exactly, can be learned at an event like the PPIHC—or, as Daryl Brockman, director of global sales, marketing, and product planning at Optima added—the King of the Hammers and the Baja 1000—you must look at this race's extremely unique environment. Sure, you want your race cars to be durable, but Brockman explained that the PPIHC raises a frankly fascinating challenge, one that I experienced myself with the aforementioned salty snack. I bought a bag of chips down in Colorado Springs, which sits at an altitude of just over 6,000 feet. It sat, unopened, in the front seat with me as I crossed the race's starting line at 9,390 feet, and made the slow ascent up Pikes Peak to the summit, which stands at 14,115 feet of elevation. A sealed container like that bag of chips will undergo a wild change: It swells and expands. That's because the air pressure inside the bag remains the same as it was when it was sealed closer to sea level, while the air pressure outside the bag decreases. The internal air wants to push outside of the bag, which causes some extreme surface tension. Scientists call this Boyle's Law. Optima Just like the chip bag, batteries are also fully sealed containers, and the altitude change during the race is going to impact the battery the same way it impacts your chip bag: Namely, as you ascend higher up a mountain, the external air pressure is going to drop, but the internal air pressure in your battery will remain the same. Pressure changes can impact the structural integrity of a sealed lithium battery pack, which can cause your battery to leak or even explode, while decreases in cooling efficiency mean your battery can overheat. It should go without saying that all of these impacts are bad, but they become particularly concerning when those batteries are mated to purpose-built cars that are trying to race up a huge mountain in 10 minutes or less. 'Our batteries actually have a breather valve that allows the pressure inside the battery to equalize compared to the atmospheric air pressure,' Brockman told me. 'It's one of the small details that our batteries have that some of our other competitors may not have considered.' Elizabeth Blackstock And it's a detail that can't be replicated through lab conditions—not really. Brockman pointed out that the OrangeTop QH6 spent a year and a half in the lab, during which time the Optima development crew worked out any initial kinks. The next step is actually crafting pre-production prototypes that Optima has distributed to race teams and other enthusiasts who will really put those batteries to the test. 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If my chip bag had a similar feature, it wouldn't look like it was bursting at the seams up at the summit of Pikes Peak. The valve may be small, but the OrangeTop QH6 is also outfitted with a load of sensors that monitor battery health, all of which can be transmitted to an app on your phone via Bluetooth. Without the breather valve, Optima could see exactly how sudden changes in elevation and atmospheric pressure compromised battery integrity and lifespan. Add in the breather valve, and the data showed a dramatically different story, though the Optima crew was reluctant to hand off any proprietary details. So, while the 2025 running of the PPIHC was the first time Optima had officially debuted its OrangeTop QH6 battery in a race car as a final product, it wasn't the first time a car had carried some version of that battery up a mountain; its adventure-focused product testers had been enthusiastically scaling summits for about a year before the company knew it had a battery that could withstand the pressures of competition. The difference is that now, Optima has completed the testing of its prototypes and feels confident enough to offer it to consumers. Got a tip? Email us at tips@
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Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
TruGolf Announces Portable Launch Monitor, LaunchBox, Available Globally on July 1st
This new portable Launch Monitor by TruGolf is simple to use, compatible with PC and iOS Devices, and utilizes advanced hyper-speed camera technology to measure ball data inside and outdoors. Salt Lake City, Utah, June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TruGolf Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRUG), a leading golf technology company, has announced that its highly anticipated portable launch monitor, LaunchBox, will be available globally on July 1, 2025. This sleek, camera-based launch monitor delivers professional-grade accuracy at a price point that opens the door to millions of golfers around the world. 'LaunchBox offers tour-level precision in a portable package that is truly affordable for everyday golfers,' said Doug Bybee, Chief Revenue Officer at TruGolf. 'Whether you're a weekend warrior trying to drop a few strokes, or an elite player working on shot consistency, LaunchBox gives you the tools the pros rely on — without breaking the bank. 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LaunchBox is available exclusively on TruGolf's website. *As per June 2025 Business Research Insight's Golf Launch Monitor Report About TruGolf, Inc. Since 1983, TruGolf has been passionate about driving the golf industry with innovative indoor golf solutions. TruGolf builds products that capture the spirit of golf. TruGolf's mission is to help grow the game by attempting to make it more Available, Approachable, and Affordable through technology - because TruGolf believes Golf is for Everyone. TruGolf's team has built award-winning video games ('Links'), innovative hardware solutions, and an all-new e-sports platform to connect golfers around the world with E6 CONNECT. Since TruGolf's beginning, TruGolf has continued to attempt to define and redefine what is possible with golf technology. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain statements that constitute 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements that are not of historical fact constitute 'forward-looking statements' and accordingly, involve estimates, assumptions, forecasts, judgements and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the timing of the reverse stock split. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, expectations may prove to have been materially different from the results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company has attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including ''believes,'' ''estimates,'' ''anticipates,'' ''expects,'' ''plans,'' ''projects,'' ''intends,'' ''potential,'' ''may,'' ''could,'' ''might,'' ''will,'' ''should,'' ''approximately'' or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors. Any forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of its date. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release to reflect events or circumstances occurring after its date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. More detailed information about the risks and uncertainties affecting the Company is contained under the heading 'Risk Factors' in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC, which are available on the SEC's website, Contact: Michael Bacal [email protected] 917-886-9071 Attachment
