IMPCO Teaming with General Motors on Development of Natural Gas Vehicle Conversion Program for China
22 October 1997
IMPCO Teaming with General Motors on Development of Natural Gas Vehicle Conversion Program for China
CERRITOS, Calif., Oct. 22 -- IMPCO Technologies
(Nasdaq: IMCO, IMCOW) today announced that it has been selected by General
Motors to work in tandem with the auto manufacturer in developing an
unprecedented and potentially far-reaching natural gas vehicle conversion
program for the Chinese government beginning later this month.
IMPCO through it's Technology and Automotive OEM Division, is partnering
with GM to introduce Chinese engineers to the fundamentals of next-generation
alternative fuels technology, and teach infrastructure planning, safety
standards and business requirements for introducing clean-burning natural gas
vehicles in China. The transferred technology will enable the Chinese
personnel to convert their existing motor vehicles, including commercial
fleets, to natural gas. There are over seven million motor vehicles in China.
Vehicle population is projected to triple over the next five years.
A pilot program is currently being coordinated through the Beijing Science
and Technology Commission as the landmark effort by Chinese officials to
combat the environmental hazards posed by increased industrialization and
transportation demands in that country. The Chinese government also is
working with General Motors on a three-year electric vehicle demonstration
program that will be carried out in the Chinese province of Guangdong
beginning in 1998.
"We are honored that General Motors, with whom we have partnered on
numerous alternative fuel conversion projects over the years, has enlisted our
support on this dramatic conversion program with the Chinese," said Robert M.
Stemmler, president and chief executive officer of IMPCO. "The recent
completion of a natural gas pipeline in Beijing offers tremendous
opportunities not only to convert a huge number of passenger vehicles to
natural gas, but municipal fleets in many parts of that country as well.
"It is gratifying, too, that a country as large as China with its massive
population and steadily increasing number of motor vehicles is recognizing the
importance of clean-burning gaseous fuels on the environment," Stemmler added.
"Clean air is certainly a global concern, and one which is bringing countries
together in a united front to combat pollution and global warming."
IMPCO Technologies, Inc. sells alternative fuel products and services
worldwide. Headquartered in Cerritos, CA, the company has additional
facilities in Irvine, CA; Detroit, MI; Seattle, WA; Mt. Pleasant, IA;
Australia, the Netherlands, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. IMPCO has
been a market leader in OEM and aftermarket gaseous fuel management systems
and components that allow internal combustion engines to operate on clean
fuels such as propane and natural gas. IMPCO provides conversion systems for
motor vehicles, forklifts, other material handling equipment, and small
portable to large stationary engines.
SOURCE IMPCO Technologies