Kone and Power Efficiency Sign Pact to Launch Digital EcoStart for Escalators

Kone Inc., an elevator and escalator companies, and Power Efficiency, a clean tech company focused on technologies for electric motors, announced that they have signed an agreement to launch the digital EcoStart, to be included in new and modernized escalators, and offered to customers as a retrofit option.

The Kone EcoStart is a motor efficiency controller that incorporates Power Efficiency's proprietary E-Save Technology in electric motors in escalators. The EcoStart is a complete motor control device that soft starts a motor, bringing it from rest to full speed, and then protects the motor from adverse conditions, such as voltage and amperage spikes. Furthermore, when the motor is operating at full speed, Power Efficiency's E-Save Technology in the EcoStart monitors the motor and its efficiency, typically reducing energy consumption by 20-35 percent. The EcoStart is manufactured by Power Efficiency exclusively for Kone.

Kone and Power Efficiency have worked together with the analog version of the EcoStart on several retrofit projects, including Denver International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport and a host of malls and department stores. The digital EcoStart provides many improvements over the analog version, enabling it to be used in place of existing "standard" motor starting systems. The release of the digital EcoStart comes after approximately a year of the companies working together on product development and testing.

Vance Tang, Kone EVP and Area Director for the Americas, said, "With our Eco-efficiency initiative, we have gone further by establishing energy efficiency as a corporate priority in our solutions and our own operations. We are therefore pleased to partner with Power Efficiency to develop and offer our customers the digital EcoStart."

Steven Strasser, Chairman and CEO of Power Efficiency, said, "Although we have worked with Kone on a number of projects in the past using our analog product, this agreement represents a milestone for our company. After due diligence, Kone has now integrated our digital controller into their escalator offerings under their proprietary brand. We look forward to working in partnership with Kone to address the need by their customers to use energy and address climate change issues."

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