National Press Release

NEW YORK, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ener1, Inc. (Nasdaq : HEV) announced today that it will participate in the 2009 Auto Analysts of New York Detroit Auto Conference taking place on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 through Thursday, January 15, 2009 at the MGM Grand Detroit on Third Street in Detroit. The conference will be hosted by Deutsche Bank, to coincide with The North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Ener1 Chairman and CEO, Charles Gassenheimer, will present on Wednesday, January 14 at 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080312/CLW018LOGO )

To view Ener1's webcast from the conference, please access the following link:

http://tinyurl.com/a48han

About Ener1, Inc.:

Ener1 develops and manufactures compact, high performance lithium-ion batteries to power the next generation of hybrid and electric vehicles. The publicly traded company (Nasdaq : HEV) is led by an experienced team of engineers and energy system experts at its EnerDel subsidiary located in Indiana. EnerDel has developed proprietary battery systems based on technology originally pioneered with the assistance of the Argonne National Lab.

Ener1 is seeking to become the first company to mass-produce a cost-competitive lithium-ion battery for hybrid and electric vehicles. Demand for battery solutions is being driven by a need to reduce dependence on oil as well as growing concern about vehicle emissions. In addition to the automobile market, applications for Ener1 lithium-ion battery technology include medical, military, aerospace, electric utility and other growing markets.

Major shareholders of Ener1 include Ener1 Group, Inc., a privately held, global investment and advisory firm, and ITOCHU Corporation, a Japanese trading company and distributor of manufacturing equipment essential to lithium-ion battery production. ITOCHU has annual revenue of approximately $90 billion and offices in more than 80 countries. Ener1 has also received funding from a growing number of institutional investors.

In addition to battery technology, Ener1 develops commercial fuel cell products through its EnerFuel subsidiary and nanotechnology-based materials and manufacturing processes for batteries and other applications through its NanoEner subsidiary.

    INVESTOR RELATIONS                  MEDIA RELATIONS
    Rachel Carroll                      Jon Coifman
    VP Corporate Communications         Waggener Edstrom Worldwide
    P: 212 920 3500                     P: 212 551 4815
    E: rcarroll@ener1.com               E: jcoifman@waggeneredstrom.com

SOURCE Ener1, Inc.