Document:

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                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.4

                      1997 NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTOR PLAN OF
                           TANISYS TECHNOLOGY, INC.
                    (as amended through December 27, 1999)

     1.   Purpose.  The purpose of this Plan is to advance the interests of
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Tanisys Technology, Inc., a Wyoming corporation (the "Company"), by providing an
additional incentive to attract and retain qualified and competent directors,
upon whose efforts and judgment the success of the Company is largely dependent,
through the encouragement of stock ownership in the Company by such persons.

     2.   Definitions.  As used herein, the following terms shall have the
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meaning indicated:

          (a)  "Board" shall mean the Board of Directors of Tanisys Technology,
Inc.

          (b)  "Committee" shall mean the committee, if any, appointed by the
Board pursuant to Section 12 hereof.

          (c)  "Date of Grant" shall mean the date on which an Option is granted
to an Eligible Person pursuant to this Plan.

          (d)  "Director" shall mean a member of the Board.

          (e)  "Eligible Person(s)" shall mean those persons who are Directors
of the Company and who are not employees of the Company or a Subsidiary.

          (f)  "Fair Market Value" of a Share on any date of reference shall be
the closing price on the business day immediately preceding such date.  For this
purpose, the closing price of the Shares on any business day shall be (i) if the
Shares are listed or admitted for trading on any United States national
securities exchange, the last reported sale price of Shares on such exchange, as
reported in any newspaper of general circulation, (ii) if actual transactions in
the Shares are included in the Nasdaq Stock Market SmallCap Market ("Nasdaq-
SCM") or are reported on a consolidated transaction reporting system, the last
sales price of the Shares on such system, (iii) if Shares are otherwise quoted
on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System
("Nasdaq"), or any similar system of automated dissemination of quotations of
securities prices in common use, the mean between the closing high bid and low
asked quotations for such day of Shares on such system, (iv) if none of clause
(i), (ii) or (iii) is applicable, the mean between the high bid and low asked
quotations for Shares as reported by the National Daily Quotation Service if at
least two securities dealers have inserted both bid and asked quotations for
Shares on at least five (5) of the ten (10) preceding days.

          (g)  "Internal Revenue Code" or "Code" shall mean the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as it now exists or may be amended from time to time.
<PAGE>

          (h)  "Nonqualified Stock Option" shall mean an option that is not an
incentive stock option as defined in Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code.

          (i)  "Option" (when capitalized) shall mean any option granted under
Section 4 or 5 of this Plan.

          (j)  "Optionee" shall mean a person to whom a stock option is granted
under this Plan or any successor to the rights of such person under this Plan by
reason of the death of such person.

          (k)  "Plan" shall mean this 1997 Non-Employee Director Plan of Tanisys
Technology, Inc.

          (l)  "Share(s)" shall mean a share or shares of the common stock, no
par value per share, of the Company.

          (m)  "Subsidiary" shall mean any corporation (other than the Company)
in any unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company if, at the time
of the granting of the Option, each of the corporations other than the last
corporation in the unbroken chain owns stock possessing more than fifty percent
(50%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the
other corporations in such chain.

     3.   Shares and Options.  (a)  The maximum number of Shares to be issued
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pursuant to Options under this Plan, including shares issued on the exercise of
Shares granted to Eligible Persons prior to the adoption of the Plan under the
Company's 1993 Stock Option Plan adopted in October 1993, shall be TWO MILLION
(2,000,000) Shares.  Shares issued pursuant to Options granted under this Plan
may be issued from Shares held in the Company's treasury or from authorized and
unissued Shares.  If any Option granted under this Plan shall terminate, expire,
or be cancelled or surrendered as to any Shares, new Options may thereafter be
granted covering such Shares.

          (b)  Each Option granted hereunder shall be evidenced by an option
agreement (an "Option Agreement") and shall contain such terms as are not
inconsistent with this Plan or any applicable law.  Any person who files with
the Committee, in a form satisfactory to the Committee, a written waiver of
eligibility to receive any Option under this Plan shall not be eligible to
receive any Option under this Plan for the duration of such waiver. Any Option
granted hereunder shall be a Nonqualified Stock Option.

          (c)  Neither the Plan nor any Option granted under the Plan shall
confer upon any person any right to continue to serve as a Director.

     4.   Automatic Grant of Options.  (a)  Options shall automatically be
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granted to Eligible Persons as follows:
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               (i) Each Director who is an Eligible Person shall automatically
       receive an Option for TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND (25,000) Shares on the date
       such Eligible Person is initially appointed or elected a Director of the
       Company, and such Option will vest as to one third of such Shares on each
       of the first three anniversaries of the Date of Grant; and

               (ii) Each Director who is an Eligible Person will receive, upon
       their re-election at the annual meeting of stockholders of the Company
       immediately following the full vesting of any previously granted Director
       Option, an option to purchase TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND (25,000) Shares, and
       such Option will vest as to one third of such Shares on each of the first
       three anniversaries of the Date of Grant.

(b)  The Options automatically granted to Directors under this Plan shall be in
     addition to regular director's fees, discretionary Option grants under
     Section 5 or other benefits with respect to the Director's position with
     the Company or its Subsidiaries.

       5.   Discretionary Grants of Options.  (a)   At any time and from time to
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time during the duration of this Plan and subject to the provisions herein,
Options may be granted by the Board to any Eligible Person for such number of
Shares as the Board in its discretion shall deem to be in the best interest of
the Company and which will serve to further the purposes of the Plan.  Upon the
grant of an Option, the Company shall promptly deliver to such Eligible Person
an Option Agreement.  Options granted pursuant to this Section 5 shall vest
according to the vesting schedule provided in the Option Agreement.

            (b)  The Options granted to Directors pursuant to this Section 5
shall be in addition to regular directors' fees, automatic grants of Options
under Section 4 herein or any other benefits with respect to the Director's
position with the Company or its Subsidiaries.

       6.   Option Price.  The option price per Share of any Option granted
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pursuant to this Plan shall be one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market
Value per Share on the Date of Grant.

       7.   Exercise of Options.  Options may be exercised at any time after the
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date on which the Options, or any portion thereof, are vested until the Option
expires pursuant to Section 8; provided, however, that at least six months must
elapse from the date of the acquisition of the Option to the date of disposition
of the Option (other than upon exercise or conversion) or its underlying Common
Stock.  An Option shall be deemed exercised when (i) the Company has received
written notice of such exercise in accordance with the terms of the Option
Agreement, (ii) full payment of the aggregate option price of the Shares as to
which the Option is exercised has been made and (iii) arrangements that are
satisfactory to the Committee in its sole discretion have been made for the
Optionee's payment to the Company of the amount, if any, that the Committee
determines to be necessary for the Company to withhold in accordance with
applicable federal or state income tax withholding requirements.  Pursuant to
procedures approved by the Committee, tax withholding requirements, at the
option of an Optionee, may be met by withholding Shares otherwise deliverable to
the Optionee upon the exercise of an Option.  Unless further limited by the
Committee in any Option Agreement, the Option price of any Shares purchased
shall be paid
<PAGE>

solely in cash, by certified or cashier's check, by money order, with Shares
(but with Shares only if permitted by the Option Agreement or otherwise
permitted by the Committee in its sole discretion at the time of exercise) or by
a combination of the above; provided, however, that the Committee in its sole
discretion may accept a personal check in full or partial payment of any Shares.
If the exercise price is paid in whole or in part with Shares, the value of the
Shares surrendered shall be their Fair Market Value on the date the Shares are
received by the Company.

     8.   Termination of Option Period.  The unexercised portion of an Option
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shall automatically and without notice terminate and become null and void at the
time of the earliest to occur of the following:

          (a)  with respect to Options granted automatically pursuant to
Subsection 4(a), thirty (30) days after the date that an Optionee ceases to be a
Director regardless of the reason therefor other than as a result of such
termination by death of the Optionee;

          (b)  with respect to Options granted automatically pursuant to
Subsection, 4(a), (y) one (1) year after the date that an Optionee ceases to be
a Director by reason of death of the Optionee or (z) six (6) months after the
Optionee shall die if that shall occur during the thirty-day period described in
Subsection 8(a); or

          (c)  with respect to Options granted automatically pursuant to
               Subsection 4(a), the fifth (5th) anniversary of the Date of Grant
               of the Option, and with respect to discretionary Option grants
               pursuant to Section 5, the fifth (5/th/) to seventh (7/th/)
               anniversary of the Date of Grant of the Option, as specified in
               the Option Agreement relating to the discretionary Option grant.

     9.   Adjustment of Shares.  (a) If at any time while this Plan is in effect
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or unexercised Options are outstanding, there shall be any increase or decrease
in the number of issued and outstanding Shares through the declaration of a
stock dividend or through any recapitalization resulting in a stock split-up,
combination or exchange of Shares, then and in such event:

               (i)  appropriate adjustment shall be made in the maximum number
          of Shares then subject to being optioned under this Plan, so that the
          same proportion of the Company's issued and outstanding Shares shall
          continue to be subject to being so optioned; and

               (ii) appropriate adjustment shall be made in the number of Shares
          and the exercise price per Share thereof then subject to any
          outstanding Option, so that the same proportion of the Company's
          issued and outstanding Shares shall remain subject to purchase at the
          same aggregate exercise price.

     In addition, the Committee shall make such adjustments in the Option price
and the number of shares covered by outstanding Options that are required to
prevent dilution or enlargement of the rights of the holders of such Options
that would otherwise result from any reorganization, recapitalization, stock
split, stock dividend, spin-off, combination of shares,
<PAGE>

merger, consolidation, issuance of rights or any other change in capital
structure of the Company.

          (b)  Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the issuance by
the Company of shares of its capital stock of any class, or securities
convertible into shares of capital stock of any class, either in connection with
a direct sale or upon the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor,
or upon conversion of shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such
shares or other securities, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason
thereof shall be made with respect to, the number of or exercise price of Shares
then subject to outstanding Options granted under this Plan.

          (c)  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the existence
of outstanding Options granted under this Plan shall not affect in any manner
the right or power of the Company to make, authorize or consummate (i) any or
all adjustments, recapitalizations, reorganizations or other changes in the
Company's capital structure or its business; (ii) any merger or consolidation of
the Company; (iii) any issue by the Company of debt securities, or preferred or
preference stock that would rank above the Shares subject to outstanding
Options; (iv) the dissolution or liquidation of the Company; (v) any sale,
transfer or assignment of all or any part of the assets or business of the
Company; or (vi) any other corporate act or proceeding, whether of a similar
character or otherwise.

     10.  Transferability of Options.  Each Option Agreement shall provide that
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such Option shall not be transferable by the Optionee otherwise than by will or
the laws of descent and distribution or pursuant to a qualified domestic
relations order and that so long as an Optionee lives, only such Optionee or his
or her guardian or legal representative shall have the right to exercise the
related Option.

     11.  Issuance of Shares.  No person shall be, or have any of the rights or
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privileges of, a stockholder of the Company with respect to any of the Shares
subject to an Option unless and until certificates representing such Shares
shall have been issued and delivered to such person.  As a condition of any
transfer of the certificate for Shares, the Committee may obtain such agreements
or undertakings, if any, as it may deem necessary or advisable to assure
compliance with any provision of this Plan, any Option Agreement or any law or
regulation, including, but not limited to, the following:

               (i)  A representation, warranty or agreement by the Optionee to
          the Company, at the time any Option is exercised, that he or she is
          acquiring the Shares to be issued to him or her for investment and not
          with a view to, or for sale in connection with, the distribution of
          any such Shares; and

               (ii) A representation, warranty or agreement to be bound by any
          legends that are, in the opinion of the Committee, necessary or
          appropriate to comply with the provisions of any securities law deemed
          by the Committee to be applicable to the issuance of the Shares and
          are endorsed upon the Share certificates.
<PAGE>

     Share certificates issued to an Optionee who is a party to any stockholder
agreement or a similar agreement shall bear the legends contained in such
agreements.

     12.  Administration of the Plan.  (a)  This Plan shall be administered by a
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stock option committee (the "Committee") consisting of not fewer than three (3)
members of the Board; provided, however, that if no Committee is appointed, the
Board shall administer this Plan and in such case all references to the
Committee shall be deemed to be references to the Board.  The Committee shall
have all of the powers of the Board with respect to this Plan.  Any member of
the Committee may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by resolution
of the Board, and any vacancy occurring in the membership of the Committee may
be filled by appointment by the Board.

          (b)  The Committee, from time to time, may adopt rules and regulations
for carrying out the purposes of this Plan.  The determinations and the
interpretation and construction of any provision of this Plan by the Committee
shall be final and conclusive.

          (c)  Any and all decisions or determinations of the Committee shall be
made either (i) by a majority vote of the members of the Committee at a meeting
or (ii) without a meeting by the written approval of a majority of the members
of the Committee.

          (d)  This Plan is intended and has been drafted to comply with Rule
16b-3, as amended, under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.  If
any provision of this Plan does not comply with Rule 16b-3, as amended, this
Plan shall be automatically amended to comply with Rule 16b-3, as amended.

     13.  Interpretation.  (a) If any provision of this Plan is held invalid for
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any reason, such holding shall not affect the remaining provisions hereof, but
instead this Plan shall be construed and enforced as if such provision had never
been included in this Plan.

          (b)  THIS PLAN SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE SUBSTANTIVE LAWS OF THE STATE
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OF WYOMING, WITHOUT REFERENCE TO DELAWARE CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS.
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          (c)  Headings contained in this Plan are for convenience only and
shall in no manner be construed as part of this Plan.

          (d)  Any reference to the masculine, feminine or neuter gender shall
be a reference to such other gender as is appropriate.

     14.  Section 83(b) Election.  If as a result of exercising an Option an
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Optionee receives Shares that are subject to a "substantial risk of forfeiture"
and are not "transferable" as those terms are defined for purposes of Section
83(a) of the Code, then such Optionee may elect under Section 83(b) of the Code
to include in his gross income, for his taxable year in which the Shares are
transferred to such Optionee, the excess of the Fair Market Value of such Shares
at the time of transfer (determined without regard to any restriction other than
one which by its terms will never lapse), over the amount paid for the Shares.
If the Optionee makes the Section 83(b)
<PAGE>

election described above, the Optionee shall (i) make such election in a manner
that is satisfactory to the Committee, (ii) provide the Company with a copy of
such election, (iii) agree to promptly notify the Company if any Internal
Revenue Service or state tax agent, on audit or otherwise, questions the
validity or correctness of such election or of the amount of income reportable
on account of such election, and (iv) agree to such withholding as the Committee
may reasonably require in its sole and absolute discretion.

     15.  Effective Date and Termination Date.  The effective date of this Plan
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or any amendment thereto is the date on which the Board adopted this Plan or
such amendment.  This Plan shall terminate on January 15, 2007, and any Option
outstanding on such date will remain outstanding until it has either expired or
has been exercised.<PAGE>

                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.5

[GrantDate]

[OptioneeName]
[Address1]
[Address2]

Dear [FirstName]:

     On behalf of Tanisys Technology, Inc. (the "Company"), I am pleased to
announce that the Board of Directors, operating under the Company's 1997 Non-
Employee Director Plan, as amended (the "Plan"), has awarded you (the
"Director") a non-qualified stock option to purchase [Shares] shares of common
stock of the Company (the "Shares"). The option to acquire the Shares is awarded
and granted upon the following terms and conditions as well as those terms,
conditions, and limitations as set forth in the Plan, which is attached hereto
and incorporated herein for all purposes:

     1.   The exercise price for each share of common stock is $[Price].

     2.   For so long as you are a Director of the Company, the right to
          exercise such options shall vest as follows:

          (a)  33-1/3% after one year from the date hereof;

          (b)  33-1/3% after two years from the date hereof; and

          (c)  33-1/3% after three years from the date hereof.

     3.   Subject to Paragraph 5 herein, the options which have vested in
accordance with the schedule set forth in Paragraph 2 above may be exercised at
any time on or before [Date] (the "Expiration Date").  No partial exercise of
such option may be for less than 100 full shares.  In no event shall the Company
be required to transfer fractional shares to the Director.

     4.   The option granted under this Agreement shall be exercisable from time
to time, as provided above, by the payment in cash to the Company of the
purchase price of the shares which the Director elects to purchase.  The Company
shall not be required to transfer or deliver any certificate or certificates for
shares of the Company's common shares purchased upon exercise of the option
granted under this Agreement until all then applicable requirements of law have
been met.

     5.   Subject to limitations imposed pursuant to Section 8 of the Plan, the
option and all rights granted by this Agreement, to the extent those rights have
not been exercised, will
<PAGE>

terminate and become null and void on the Expiration Date. If the Director dies,
the person or persons to whom his/her vested rights under the option shall pass,
whether by will or by the applicable laws of descent and distribution, may
exercise such vested option to the extent the Director was entitled to exercise
the option on the date of death, at any time within a period of one year after
his/her death, but not after the Expiration Date.

     Notwithstanding the above, the Director's rights to the nonvested and
vested options, which have not been exercised, and all rights granted by this
Agreement shall in all events terminate and become null and if the Director is
employed either as an employee or consultant by any company, joint venture,
partnership or individual which the Board of Directors determines, in its sole
discretion, is in competition with the Company.

     6.   During the lifetime of the Director, the option and all rights granted
in this Agreement shall be exercisable only by the Director, and except as
Paragraph 5 otherwise provides, the option and all rights granted under this
contract shall not be transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated in any way
(whether by operation of law or otherwise), and shall not be subject to
execution, attachment or similar process.  Upon any attempt to transfer, assign,
pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of such option or of such rights
contrary to the provisions in this Agreement, or upon the levy of any attachment
or similar process upon such option or such rights, such option and such rights
shall immediately become null and void.

     7.   In the event of any change in the common shares of the Company subject
to the option granted hereunder, through merger, consolidation, reorganization,
recapitalization, stock split, stock dividend or other change in the corporate
structure, without consideration, appropriate adjustment shall be made by the
Company in the number of shares subject to such option and the price per share.
Upon the dissolution or liquidation of the Company, this Agreement shall
terminate and become null and void.

     8.   Neither the Director nor his/her executor, administrator, heirs or
legatees shall be or have any rights or privileges of a shareholder of the
Company in respect of the shares transferable upon exercise of the option
granted under this Agreement, unless and until certificates representing such
shares shall have been endorsed, transferred and delivered and the transferee
has caused his/her name to be entered as the shareholder of record on the books
of the Company.  Nothing contained in the Plan or this Agreement shall confer
upon the Director any right to continue as a Director of the Company or any of
its subsidiaries.

     9.   Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the option granted
under this Agreement shall not be exercisable and the Company shall not be
required to issue any shares hereunder unless (a) a registration statement under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any applicable state securities or
"blue sky" laws is in effect with respect to the Shares or (b) unless in the
opinion of counsel for the Company such registration is not then required.

     10.  The Company does not attempt to advise you on any consequences arising
from your acquisition of the Shares through the exercise of the option and
advises you to consult with your tax advisor.
<PAGE>

     11.  The terms and conditions of the Plan, unless expressly supplemented by
this Agreement, shall continue unchanged and in full force and effect.  To the
extent that any terms or provisions of this Agreement are or may be deemed
expressly inconsistent with any terms or conditions of the Plan, the terms of
this Agreement shall control.

     12.  The Director hereby agrees to take whatever additional actions and
execute whatever additional documents the Company may in its reasonable judgment
deem necessary or advisable in order to carry out or effect one or more of the
obligations or restrictions imposed on the Director pursuant to the express
provisions of this Agreement.

     13.  The rights of the Director are subject to modification and termination
in certain events as provided in this Agreement and the Plan.

     14.  This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with,
the substantive laws of the State of Wyoming applicable to contracts made and to
be wholly performed therein.

     15.  This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of
which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which together shall
constitute one and the same instrument.

     16.  This Agreement and the Plan constitute the entire agreement between
the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersede all
previously written or oral negotiations, commitments, representations and
agreements with respect thereto.

     If the foregoing represents your understanding of the terms and conditions
upon which your options have been granted, please execute in the space provided
below, returning an executed copy of the undersigned.

Sincerely,                              AGREED:

____________________________________    ________________________________________
Charles T. Comiso                       [OptioneeName]
President and Chief Executive Officer

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