STOKO® To Feature Record-Setting, Self-Sufficient Vehicle At AAPEX 2012

STOKO^®, Evonik’s professional skin care product line, will showcase the Wind Explorer – a lightweight, electric vehicle that crossed Australia on less than $15 of electricity – at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada, October 30-November 1.

This will mark the first time the Wind Explorer has appeared in the United States since its record-setting expedition across Australia.

The vehicle, piloted by German extreme sportsmen Dirk Gion and Stefan Simmerer, ran on a lithium-ion battery developed from Evonik’s LITARION^® electrodes and SEPARION^® ceramic separators. The SEPARION^® technology is manufactured exclusively by Evonik and allows the battery cells to store energy generated from a portable wind turbine. Later this fall, the Wind Explorer’s lithium-ion battery technology will be used in Daimler’s new E-smart generation electric vehicles. The Wind Explorer was also constructed from Evonik’s ROHACELL^® sandwich carbon fiber, reducing the body’s weight to allow the vehicle to travel hundreds of miles by kite.

“The Wind Explorer demonstrates how resource-efficient and environmentally-friendly automobiles can be today and showcases Evonik’s drive for sustainability,” said Ron Shuster, STOKO^® product line director of North America. “The vehicle produced virtually zero emissions during the 3,000 mile journey, a distance roughly 200 miles further than New York City to Los Angeles. Evonik’s silica-silane technology for rubber formulation reduced the rolling resistance of the vehicle’s tires, lowering fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. The Wind Explorer was so resource efficient that the wind turbine carried aboard could produce enough energy to travel 175-225 miles a day.”

STOKO^®, a leader in the away-from-home skin care and hygiene market, provided the Wind Explorer pilots with STOKO^® UV sunscreen, ESTESOL^® hair and body cleansers, STOKOSEPT^® hand sanitizers, and STOKOLAN^® skin conditioners. “We spent the majority of our time outdoors, under the scorching hot sun, during the 17-day trip and had limited access to showers. We relied heavily on STOKO^® products to stay clean, wash off dirt and bacteria, and protect ourselves from the sun,” said Gion.

The pilots set three world records during their coast-to-coast trip across Australia, including the first time a continent had been crossed by a vehicle powered by wind and lithium-ion batteries, the longest overall distance covered by an exclusively wind-powered automobile, and the longest distance covered in 36 hours by an electric and wind-powered vehicle.

“We are thrilled to be part of the Evonik family and to show the automotive industry the advanced technologies found in the Wind Explorer,” said Lori Huffman, STOKO^® marketing manager of North America. “Evonik’s globally recognized level of chemical expertise, innovation and quality can be found in our skin care products, such as our new KRESTO^® CHERRY heavy-duty hand cleaner debuting in our booth at AAPEX.”

The Wind Explorer will be featured at the Evonik STOKO^® booth #3868 at AAPEX 2012.

For additional information about Evonik in North America, please visit our website: www.evonik.com/north-america. Please visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvonikNorthAmerica. Follow us on Twitter @EvonikN_America.