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Electric
Vehicle Division News
Electric Fuel Completes Test Drive of Electric Transit Bus ZincAir System Powers
First Full-Sized All-Battery Electric Bus
July 12, 2000 — Electric Fuel Corporation (Nasdaq: EFCX) today announced that it has successfully completed the first actual driving tests of its all-battery electric bus. The first of its kind, the 40-foot, battery-powered transit bus was designed and built to provide a full day's operation with zero emissions in an urban environment. The bus is equipped with Electric Fuel's ZincAir(TM) energy system, which stores a record 320 kilowatt-hours of energy on board the bus. This is enough energy for the bus to run all day, even while operating with air-conditioning and a full load of passengers. Electric Fuel's ZincAir(TM) energy system for electric vehicles is built around the Company's battery/fuel cell, which creates clean electricity by using oxygen from the air to react with our proprietary refuelable zinc fuel. The Electric Fuel system boasts specific energy of nearly 200 watt-hours per kilogram, or about 6-8 times that of lead- acid batteries. The bus also achieves higher energy efficiencies by deploying a small auxiliary battery for boosting power and for absorbing energy recovered while braking. The driving tests were performed at a Schenectady, N.Y., test track, following a series of tests of all of the bus's systems and sub-systems, including the ZincAir(TM) batteries, the auxiliary battery, the energy management system, the regenerative braking system and the air conditioning system. The tests were the culmination of a bus development program initiated and supported by the State of Nevada, and managed and funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The program was implemented in partnership with the Regional Transportation Commission of Clark County, Nevada. The bus program, which received an allocation of $2 million from the FTA, included the design, procurement, installation and integration of the transit bus and its systems. The Company also demonstrated a new refueling system, under a parallel program partially funded by the U.S.-Israel Bi-national Research and Development (BIRD) Fund. The refueling system, built as a mobile unit, demonstrated unloading and reloading of the refueled ZincAir(TM) batteries. Additional test drives, including on-road drives, are planned for the all- electric transit bus. “Reaching this milestone is a technical breakthrough. It shows that our ZincAir(TM) system can provide the previously unachievable, high-energy content required for clean, reliable urban transportation. With recent rises in energy prices, our system is a competitive solution for a healthier environment in our crowded and polluted cities,” said Yehuda Harats, president and CEO, Electric Fuel Corp. About Electric Fuel: Electric Fuel, with corporate and sales offices in New Jersey and London, and manufacturing and R&D facilities in Israel and Alabama, is a world leader in the application of primary and refuelable zinc-air battery technology to innovative energy solutions. The company's popular line of ZincAir(TM) disposable cell phone batteries is available through selected outlets in the U.S., Europe, South America and Israel. ZincAir is a trademark of Electric Fuel. All other product names used are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Forward-looking statements: |
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