The City of Houston Purchases Extengine Technology to Reduce Emissions from City-Owned Diesel Vehicles; The ADEC System Dramatically Reduces NOx and Particulate Matter

    FULLERTON, Calif.--Aug. 23, 2002--The City of Houston has signed two contracts with Extengine Transport Systems LLC, a California company, for the purchase of 35 Advanced Diesel Emission Control (ADEC) systems.
    This purchase funded by Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) grant funds represents a major step in Houston's aggressive campaign to reduce diesel emissions from thousands of city-owned vehicles.
    "This initial purchase of ADEC systems by the City of Houston is the most recent demonstration of Mayor Brown's leadership with regard to addressing our regional air challenge," said Dr. Pamela Berger, director, Mayor's Office of Environmental Policy.
    "By retrofitting new technology, such as Extengine's ADEC system, on a variety of new and old city-owned diesel trucks, and off-road construction equipment, Mayor Brown acting on the city's position that adoption of innovative technology will be critical to achievement of federal air standards. It is a huge benefit that such technologies like other air quality control strategies addressed in the City of Houston Emissions Reduction Plan are transferable to other regions, municipalities and business entities."
    Under federal law, the eight-county region is required to meet strict new federal air quality standards or risk the loss of federal highway funds and capacity for industrial growth; as well as, the imposition of a Federal Implementation Plan. Reducing emissions from older diesel-powered vehicles and equipment is considered by many to be the quickest way to make dramatic improvements to air quality.
    "The ADEC emission control system is the most cost-effective and practical diesel engine retrofit emission control system available today," said Phillip Roberts, president of Extengine.
    "We believe that once the commercial durability of our ADEC system has been verified under either federal EPA or California Air Resources Board protocols, many other cities, fleet operators and engine manufacturers will follow Houston's lead and immediately begin retrofitting ADEC systems in a timely manner."
    The first six ADEC units purchased by the City of Houston are scheduled to be installed and tested on Gradall construction equipment in mid-October. That is to be followed with the installation of the ADEC system on the remaining Gradalls and additional testing on two city-owned dump trucks.
    Extengine's ADEC system will be demonstrated on a Nissan 2001 Terrano II SUV in San Diego on August 27 and 28 at the 2002 DEER Conference, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. In a national field test conducted last year by Environment Canada in Houston, the ADEC system out-performed all other technologies, reducing nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 82% and particulates (PM) by 92%.