Solio supports AIDS/LifeCycle riders with its two most popular solar d

OAKLAND, Calif.– (March 27, 2012) – Solio, the decade-old leader in the hand-held battery packs and solar chargers category, kicked off its third annual partnership with the AIDS/LifeCycle Ride to End AIDS this weekend in San Francisco. This pre-event expo and celebration for AIDS/LifeCycle – the world’s most successful AIDS fundraising event – gave potential riders, friends, and family an opportunity to demo Solio’s newest backup battery pack and solar charger, the BOLT. Another expo will take place in the ride’s destination-city, Los Angeles, this Sunday April 1. Attendees can enter a raffle to win one of three BOLTs.

Solio is offering the estimated 2,500 riders and volunteers of the June 3-9 AIDS/LifeCycle ride a thirty-percent discount on its two most popular products, the Solio BOLT and the CLIP-MINI, a solar and USB rechargeable LED light. Riders can attain the discount code on www.AIDSLifeCycle.org and apply it to their order on www.Solio.com. AIDS/LifeCycle has added fundraising incentives for riders who are able to raise $7,000 or more by Orientation Day; these cyclists will receive a special AIDS/LifeCycle-branded Solio BOLT.

The AIDS/LifeCycle Ride to End AIDS is the only AIDS fundraising bicycle event in California, challenging participants to complete the 545-mile and seven-day journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles. To date, the ride has raised $13,060,000 for the HIV/AIDS services of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

2012 marks the eleventh year for AIDS/LifeCycle and the nineteenth for the event overall. Since its partnership began three years ago, Solio has become a staple of AIDS/LifeCycle riders’ packs and the company is eager to show off its new BOLT, a powerhouse solar charger that has earned critical praise from publications like WIRED, Outside Magazine, and the Associated Press. The BOLT works exclusively from the charging-device’s native USB cord and with an on-board battery and rotating solar panels, the Solio BOLT charges thousands of popular USB powered gadgets like smartphones, MP3 players, headlamps, GPS units, cameras, and more.

Solio’s newest release, the CLIP-MINI, allows users to harness the clean energy of the sun (or, optionally, the wall), to keep light burning all through the night without environmentally hazardous and wasteful disposable batteries.

Riders can register for the AIDS/LifeCycle event on www.AIDSLifeCycle.org and fans can track how the cyclists are using their Solio products during the ride on www.facebook.com/Solio.

About Solio

Solio is a developer and manufacturer of portable solar chargers and lighting systems, helping power work and play with renewable energy. Solio products are compatible with an enormous range of devices from GPS units to MP3 players, smartphones, and cameras. Chances are, if a device can be powered by USB, it can be powered by Solio. Now a decade old, Solio is an Oakland, CA-based company distributed by Liberty Mountain and sold through specialty retailers like REI, Sprint, RadioShack. The company also provides rural communities in Kenya with home solar lease options, providing access to affordable clean energy and lighting systems. For more information visit www.solio.com.

Solio stands for energy equality

Through Kiva microfinance loans, solar energy entrepreneurs are able to start a green energy business of their own. Solio is a proud partner of Kiva – find out more here: www.kiva.org/green

Tested by daily use

Families in Kenya use Solio to power their entire home.We’ve learned to make durable, reliable solar chargers – because people depend on us!Learn more here: www.solio.com/dailyuse

Media Contact:

Craig Randall at Verde PR & Consulting | 303-718-6519 | craig@verdepr.com