Tokyo, SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO) is pleased to announce that for its electric hybrid bicycle, “eneloop bike” and the development of a Solar Parking Lot it has been awarded an Eco-Products Award from the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry in the Eco-Products Category of the Sixth Eco-Products Awards, hosted by the Eco-Products Promotion Council in Japan. The ceremony where SANYO will receive this award will be held during Eco-Products 2009 on December 10, 2009. After the awards ceremony, a presentation regarding the product selected for the award will be held at the Tokyo Big Sight Conference Tower.

The Eco-Products Awards serve to support initiatives of companies and other organizations supplying eco-minded products by providing recognition for outstanding products and services that reduce the burden on the environment (Eco-Products). These awards were initiated in 2004 with the aim of providing accurate information about eco-products to both companies and consumers, in addition to supporting and promoting the development and distribution of eco-products throughout Japan. This is the third time that SANYO has received an award after receiving an Eco-Products Award (from the Minister of the Environment) for “eneloop” in the Eco-Products Category of the Third Eco-Products Awards and an Eco-Products Award (from the Minister of Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry) for the in-store integrated management system, “Eco Store System” in the Eco-Services Category of the Fifth Eco-Products Awards.

For this year’s Eco-Products Awards, SANYO demonstrated its electric hybrid bicycle as an easy transportation device suitable for urban living that promotes a low-carbon lifestyle and its initiative to develop a solar parking lot system as an infrastructure that will facilitate diffusion of electric hybrid bicycles.

The award-winning “eneloop bike” has excellent energy-creation and energy-saving functions. It incorporates a regenerative charge technology to enable “generating and storing of energy while running.” Compared to SANYO’s standard models, which do not incorporate the regenerative charge technology, “eneloop bike” is capable of traveling up to 1.8 times farther per charge. Further, it is a zero-emission vehicle and by switching from a motorized bicycle to an “eneloop bike,” an annual CO2 reduction effect of 21kg per unit can be expected.

The “Solar Parking Lot” that SANYO has developed using solar panels is currently undergoing a proving test at the Tokushima Prefectural Government Office. The “Solar Parking Lot” incorporates solar panels and a storage battery system to enable charging electric hybrid bicycle batteries and powering external equipment without using any type of fossil fuel.