Exro Refutes Unsubstantiated Claims of Patent Infringement, Files Petition for Review of ePropelled Patent

• In response to claims made by ePropelled, Exro has filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for review of ePropelled's patent.
• Exro asserts that the patent which ePropelled claims it has infringed is invalid.
• Exro also submitted an in-depth independent analysis of the patent by award-winning MIT Professor.

CALGARY, AB, June 15, 2022 /CNW/ - Exro Technologies Inc. (TSX: EXRO) (OTCQB: EXROF) (the "Company" or "Exro"), a leading clean technology company that has developed a new class of power electronics for electric motors and batteries, is issuing this statement in response to the lawsuit filed by ePropelled against the Company on January 21, 2022. 

Exro has filed a petition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for inter partes review ("IPR") of U.S. Patent No. 7,382,103 ("the '103 patent"), assigned to patent owner ePropelled, Inc. An inter partes review is used to challenge the patentability of claims in a U.S. patent on the basis of prior art, which is evidence that an invention was already known prior to filing for patent protection. The filing follows an in-depth analysis by an independent expert in motors, and concludes that ePropelled's '103 patent, which Exro is alleged to have infringed is itself invalid.

The independent analysis was conducted by a professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who is an expert in the field of power electronics. The expert holds Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from MIT, where he has taught since 1993. His work has been published extensively in scholarly journals. The expert has also received numerous awards and accolades for his research and teaching and is the holder of more than 20 patents for energy conversion controls and power systems. The results of this independent review are included in Exro's filed IPR IPR2022-01154.

Based on the results of the independent review, Exro asserts that, unlike the patents held by Exro, there are numerous prior art references that demonstrate ePropelled's '103 patent is invalid. The cancellation of the '103 patent would render ePropelled's infringement claims moot. As such, the Company anticipates that following the completion of the IPR, the '103 patent assigned to ePropelled, Inc. will be cancelled, leading to an immediate resolution of ePropelled's claim and a full vindication of Exro.

In addition to filing the IPR, Exro also filed a separate defamation lawsuit against ePropelled Inc. on February 15, 2022, in Middlesex County Superior Court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This litigation concerns a defamatory statement about Exro in a press release issued on January 24, 2022, and the Company is actively engaged in upholding its reputation, the validity of its technology and the protection of its shareholders.

"We are confident in our ability to defeat the claims made against us and this IPR filing will affirm the fact that ePropelled's patent is invalid, making it impossible for any entity to infringe on it," said Exro CEO Sue Ozdemir. "Our focus remains on our continued successful product development and commercialization with our partners. While we vigorously defend our technology and our reputation against this unmerited patent infringement lawsuit, we are undistracted from the execution of our business strategy and our commitment to deliver innovative next-generation technology to the electric mobility market."

About Exro Technologies Inc.

Exro is a clean technology company pioneering intelligent control solutions in power electronics to help solve the most challenging problems in electrification. Exro has developed a new class of control technology that expands the capabilities of electric motors, generators, and batteries. Exro enables the application to achieve more with less energy consumed.

Exro's advanced motor control technology, the Coil Driver^TM, expands the capabilities of electric powertrains by enabling intelligent optimization for efficient energy consumption. Exro is working with many partners from all over the world to bring their technology to the electric mobility industries and beyond.

For more information visit our website at www.exro.com.

To view our Corporate Presentation visit us at www.exro.com/investors

Visit us on social media @exrotech. 

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SOURCE Exro Technologies Inc.