Capstone-Energized Hybrid Electric Bus Debuts in China
CHATSWORTH, Calif.--June 4, 2001--The first hybrid electric bus in China was recently unveiled by Beijing Chargeking Energy Technology Company Ltd. (www.chargeking.com), a leading manufacturer of electric vehicle charging equipment, at the Beijing International Scientific and Technological Exposition.Attendance at the wide-ranging exhibition reportedly exceeded 800,000.
The high-tech bus, which is energized by two compact 30-kilowatt microturbine power generators made by Capstone Turbine Corporation (www.microturbine.com) , was researched, developed and manufactured by Beijing Chargeking with consultation from Beijing Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Specifications of the bus are on Chargeking's Web site at www.chargeking.com/english/product/ProductDetail.asp?ID=13.
The onboard microturbine generators recharge the battery packs of the vehicle while it is in operation. In addition to being far cleaner than traditional bus engines, the Capstone MicroTurbine is also smaller, lighter and quieter. With a single moving assembly; no gearbox; no pumps; no mechanical subsystems; and no need for oil, lubricants or coolants, better reliability and greatly reduced maintenance have been demonstrated on Capstone-energized buses operating in the United States and New Zealand. Fuel mileage has been shown to be more than double that of traditional engine buses.
While the hybrid-electric bus is currently shuttling Chinese officials and foreign delegates on demonstration tours to and from Chargeking's Beijing production facilities, it will soon enter public transit service.
"The Capstones have worked perfectly in our bus. We have less than 1,000 miles on this new first bus. But we also hope to go over 30,000 miles with no microturbine engine problems," said Chargeking President Kong Da Hang, referring to several Capstone-energized buses in New Zealand and the United States that have each accumulated more than 30,000 miles of revenue service without any microturbine engine maintenance other than air filter changes.
Non-hybrid, electric-only buses are much smaller than most buses, accelerate slowly, cannot run on routes with uphill terrain and have very limited range, especially in warm and cold weather. They must go out of service once or more daily either for recharging or to have their massive battery arrays swapped out. Hybrid-electric vehicles, with an onboard source of recharging power, can eliminate these issues.
"Capstone-energized hybrid electric vehicles maximize the benefits of both electric-only and traditional engine vehicles," said Dr. Ake Almgren, president and CEO of Capstone Turbine. "They remove the size, range and terrain issues, accelerate more briskly, permit uninterrupted 19-hour-per-day service, enable climate control in warm and cold weather, and are just as quiet as an electric-only vehicle in transit.
"Non-hybrid electric vehicles are recharged with power generated at large centralized plants. The Capstone MicroTurbine generates recharging power with fewer emissions than most large centralized power plants," Almgren said. "As such, Capstone-energized hybrids, from well to wheels, may actually have less environmental impact than even so-called `zero-emission' electric vehicles.
"This attractive (photo at www.microturbine.com/whatsnew/morePhotos.asp?newsid=115) 38-foot bus is the largest Capstone-energized vehicle to date," Almgren added.
Other Capstone hybrid buses in service today range from 22-foot buses running in Arizona, Florida, New Zealand and elsewhere to several 32-foot buses operated by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
Both Capstone's liquid fueled and gaseous fueled microturbines have been certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which has the world's most stringent emissions standards (see www.microturbine.com/whatsNew/pressrelease.asp?article=66). Operating on compressed natural gas (CNG), nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions per brake horsepower hour of the Capstone MicroTurbine were certified by CARB at a level 80 percent lower than the cleanest CARB-certified heavy-duty truck and bus CNG engine. Even using diesel fuel, the Capstone was found to have close to half the emissions of the cleanest CARB-certified CNG engine.
About Chargeking
Beijing Chargeking Energy Technology Company Ltd. (www.chargeking.com) is located in Beijing Economic & Technological Development Area of the People's Republic of China. The company is one of the leading manufacturers of rapid charging devices for industrial batteries used in factories, mines, power and communication facilities, airports, docks, railway stations and warehouses.
Chargeking is also a major world supplier of charging devices used for electric passenger and commercial vehicles as well as electric bicycles and motorcycles. The hybrid electric bus is a new Chargeking product.
About Capstone Turbine
Capstone Turbine Corporation (www.microturbine.com; Nasdaq: CPST) -- winner of Financial Times Energy's (www.ftenergy.com) 2000 Global Energy Award for Most Innovative Commercial Technology -- is a leading producer of low-emission microturbine systems. In 1998, Capstone was the first to offer commercial power products utilizing microturbine technology, the result of more than 10 years of focused research.
Worldwide, more than 1,000 commercial production Capstone MicroTurbine systems serve, among others, the following applications:
| -- | Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs): onboard generation |
| -- | Resource recovery: converting oilfield, landfill and sewage waste gases into electricity |
| -- | Micro-cogeneration: combined heat/power/chilling solutions |
| -- | The 9s market: power quality and reliability |
This news release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is used in the federal securities laws, about Capstone's business, including statements regarding maintenance-free operation, better reliability, fuel economy and reduced maintenance, and other such statements. Readers can find many of these statements by looking for words such as "believes," "expects," "hopes," "anticipates," "estimates," or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties that may cause Capstone's actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied in such statements. These risks and uncertainties, such as staffing difficulties that may reduce the number of microturbines Capstone can produce, include those risks, uncertainties, marketplace competitors and risk factors identified, among other places, under "Business Risks" in Capstone's Annual Report (www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=cpst&script=2100) on form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2000. Capstone cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. Capstone undertakes no obligation to release any revisions to such statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Note: Photo of the bus is at:
www.microturbine.com/whatsnew/morePhotos.asp?newsid=115
Note: Chargeking's specifications of the bus are at:
www.chargeking.com/english/product/ProductDetail.asp?ID=13
Note: Other HEV-related photos are at:
www.microturbine.com/whatsNew/morePhotos.asp?newsid=66
Note: More information on Capstone's FT Energy Award noted above
is available at:
www.microturbine.com/whatsnew/pressrelease.asp?article=54
Note: Annual report is at:
www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=cpst&script=2100