Cummins Westport receives second order for B Gas Plus engines in the Czech Republic

VANCOUVER, Dec. 19, 2002; Cummins Westport Inc. a joint venture of Cummins Inc. of Columbus, Indiana, and Westport Innovations Inc. of Vancouver announced today that CSAD BUS Usti nad Labem a.s. of the Czech Republic has ordered 10 more B Gas Plus natural gas engines to add to the six that were previously ordered in September 2002 and delivered in November 2002.

The 5.9 litre 172-kilowatt low-emissions engines will be installed in new 10.5 metre buses that are part of CSAD's Ekobus fleet. CSAD operates a fleet of over 500 buses in the Czech Republic. The buses will be delivered by March 31, 2003 and the first buses in this order will be put into service on routes near Prague. The order was received through the Cummins Bohemia distributor, a branch of Trenner & Co., the Austrian-based Cummins distributor.

"We are pleased that CSAD has placed this order so quickly after putting their Cummins Westport-powered bus into service at the beginning of December," said Wade Nesmith, President and Managing Director of Westport Europe.

"Central Europe represents a good opportunity for us. The average age of buses in most of the fleets is greater than the North American average, and refurbishment is underway. As these nations position themselves for admission into the European Union, emissions issues become much more important. Natural gas has a big role to play, not only as a result of its clean emissions profile but also as a result of significant and favourable price differentials between natural gas and diesel."

The B Gas Plus engine was introduced into the European market in fall 2002. It is certified to Euro 3 emission standards and is significantly quieter than its diesel equivalent, an important benefit when operating in urban areas.