FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AFS TRINITY SIGNS ACCORD WITH AUSTIN ENERGY GIVING
PLUG-IN PARTNERS FIRST ACCESS TO AFST 250 MPG EXTREME HYBRID CARS
Ricardo, world's leading automotive engineering firm,
to assist with first XH cars
SEATTLE, August 15, 2006. . . "An accord that
was signed this week in Seattle and Austin should put Americans
one step closer to seeing the 250 MPG AFS Trinity Power Corp (AFST)
Extreme Hybrid car on the road", according to AFS Trinity CEO Edward W. Furia.
The AFST/Austin Energy (AE) memorandum of understanding sets the
stage for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) to be put into the participating fleets of the Plug-in
Partners (PIP) consortium of utilities and municipalities. Although
many hurdles still need to be surmounted before the first Extreme
Hybrid rolls into a PIP participant fleet, "we took a
big step today," said Roger Duncan, the Deputy General Manager
of Austin Energy which is the founding participant of PIP.
Duncan said, "The deal we signed today gives
PIP participants the opportunity to be among the first to order
AFS Trinity Extreme Hybrid vehicles. PIP's job is to encourage our
members to lease these vehicles. AFS Trinity's objective is to complete
development of the prototype and involve an automotive OEM as a
development partner. All of these things must be accomplished for
the agreement to work."
Duncan said that PIP regards this agreement as one
of the most important developments to date in the plug-in hybrid
field. The AFS Trinity technology is expected to permit PHEV cars
and SUVs to have the same acceleration and highway speed performance
in all-electric mode (when zero fuel is used) as when they are operated
as conventional hybrids. In essence, for the first 40 miles that
are driven, the XH is expected to have all of the benefits
of a fully electric vehicle—zero fuel consumption and zero emissions but with performance equal to a conventional vehicle.
This is significant because a 40- mile range is adequate for the
daily driving needs of 75% of American drivers. Then, as a bonus,
if and when necessary, the car can be operated in hybrid mode, increasing
its range to more than 450 miles.
In May, AFS Trinity announced it had filed a patent
for an Extreme Hybrid drive train that makes possible a plug-in hybrid
that will achieve mile-per-gallon figures of more than 250 MPG as a car and more
than 150 MPG as an SUV.
Furia said, "This agreement is important not
just as a validation of our technology but also as a clear path
toward its commercialization. We have been talking with carmaker
OEMs in the U.S. and in three other countries for several months.
Once we complete an agreement with one or more of them, we will
be able to specify the model and price of the vehicles we can offer
to PIP participants."
About AFS Trinity Power Corporation
AFS Trinity Power is a privately-owned
Delaware corporation headquartered in Bellevue, WA, that has engaged
in the development of Fast Energy Storage power systems for
vehicular, spacecraft and stationary power systems. The Company
has conducted development programs with private and government organizations
including DARPA, NASA, the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. DOT, California
Energy Commission, Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Lawrence Livermore
National Labs, Lockheed and Honeywell. American Flywheel Systems,
Inc (AFS) received the first patent ever given for a flywheel battery
in 1992 and merged with Trinity Flywheel Power to create AFS Trinity
Power in 2000. AFS Trinity and Ricardo, Inc. have signed a mutually
exclusive Technology Partnership Agreement to develop the Extreme
Hybrid, the technology for which is the subject of ongoing
U.S. and international patent filings. For more information, see www.afstrinity.com.
About Austin Energy & Plug-In Partners
Launched by the city of Austin, Texas, and its municipally-owned
and operated electric utility, Austin Energy, Plug-in Partners'
goal is to demonstrate to automakers that a market exists for plug-in
hybrid vehicles by recruiting partners in local governments, national
security organizations, utilities and civic and environmental groups.
The hope is that with sufficient public interest and demand, carmakers,
who have been reluctant to invest in the technology, will respond
with viable, affordable products, from cars to delivery vans. Since
its launch in January 2006, most of the 50 largest U.S. cities,
other municipalities, many States, Councils of Governments (COGs)
and over 200 of the nation's electric utilities have become participants
in Plug-in Partners. These organizations are expected to issue thousands
of purchase orders to lease or buy the first PHEVs for their fleets.
The US Conference of Mayors and other national municipal, security,
civic and environmental organizations have endorsed the PIP initiative. For more information, see www.pluginpartners.com.
About Ricardo
With its North American headquarters in Van Buren
Twp., Michigan, Ricardo has been a world-leading vehicle system
and powertrain technology provider for automotive manufacturers,
heavy-duty manufacturers and tier one suppliers since 1915. The
company provides expertise ranging from designing and developing
engines, transmissions and drivelines, to integrating vehicle systems
and creating software solutions, to developing gasoline, diesel,
hybrid and fuel cell technology. Ricardo is committed to excellence
and industry leadership in people, technology and knowledge. In
addition to playing a major role in the development of AFS Trinity's
Extreme Hybrid drive train, Ricardo intends to assist automotive
OEMs who will be able to license the XH drive train for use
in their own vehicles. A public company based in the U.K., Ricardo
plc posted sales of $272 million in fiscal year 2005 and is a part
of the FTSE techMark 100 indexa group of innovative technology
companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information,
see www.ricardo.com.
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Some statements in this news release are forward-looking. These statements may
be identified by the use of words such as "will," "expects," "believes," "targets,"
"intends," and words of similar import. Actual results may vary depending on
circumstances both within and outside the control of the Company including market
acceptance of products, technology development cycles and other risk factors. AFS
Trinity Power Corporation takes no responsibility for updating any forward-looking
statements made in this release.
Extreme Hybrid™, XH™, Fast Energy™, and Fast Energy Storage™
are trademarks pending of AFS Trinity Power Corporation.
© 2005 AFS Trinity Power Corp. - Patents Pending
All Rights Reserved.
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