BAT Puts Ford Couch on Display at BECA
27 October 1998
BAT Puts Ford Couch on Display at BECA in Honor of Ford 'Model T Week'
Famous Historical Couch Where Henry Ford Conceived The Ideas for Cars and
Engines will be Available for Public Viewing
CHULA VISTA, Calif., Oct. 26 -- BAT
(OTC Bulletin Board: BAAT) is honoring the Ford company celebration of the
90th anniversary of it historic Model T as announced in USA Today on Friday,
October 23rd. BAT will be displaying one of the most important pieces of
furniture in the automotive industry. As history tells it, the transportation
industry was started on Henry Ford's favorite "fainting couch." The story
says that Henry got his first ideas for assembly line production on the couch.
One day he suddenly got up, went to his wife's piano, grabbed a sheet of music
paper, and started writing assembly line production sketches and notes.
This famous couch is now owned by Joe LaStella of BAT International and
will be on display for public viewing all this week at BAT's new corporate
offices at the BECA (Border Environmental Commerce Alliance) facility at 477
Marina Parkway, #218, Chula Vista, CA (Chula Vista is just a few miles south
of San Diego, CA).
The couch was located in the original Ford "Square House" built by Henry
in Dearborn, Michigan and was in the same room with Mrs. Ford who sat sewing
as Henry drew sketches of the first Ford automobile and assembly line
production, all by lamplight. It was on this couch that Henry Ford got his
first idea about the internal combustion engine. Henry built his first
prototype engine from sketches drawn on his couch and it ran on Christmas Eve,
1893. The engine was made from a one-inch gas pipe with a piston inside that
was clamped to the kitchen sink. Mrs. Ford had to feed the fuel drop by drop
into the intake valve. It is interesting to note that one of her biggest
concerns was whether the fumes from the experimental engine would harm the
seven week old baby, Edsel, in the next room. Even more interesting is that
Mrs. Ford never drove a gasoline vehicle, always preferring the quiet electric
car of the day.
BAT will have this couch on display, along with other famous BAT vehicles
including an electric van that went 478 miles in mid-winter on a single
electric charge and an "Asian Taxi" that went 1043 miles on a single charge in
the mid-summer. BAT will also have on display several composite pickup trucks
that it is now building at BAT's auto plant just over the US-Mexico border in
Otay Mesa, Mexico.
If you are interested in getting directions to BAT facilities, please call
(619) 409-8977 or send a fax to (619) 409-9598.
Anyone who is interested in obtaining additional information about this
event and other BAT events and transportation programs or who wants to receive
BAT press release and newsletters by email should send their name and email
address to info@batsupercar.com with the word "subscribe" (no quotes) in the
Subject field.
BAT International is organized as a holding company with major ownership
positions in a set of subsidiary companies now commercializing advanced
automotive and energy technology products developed by BAT over the last six
years. This includes electric vehicles, super-efficient or high-powered
engines, advanced batteries and power electronics, electric bicycles and
scooters, super anti-friction additives, and electric power generation.
(for more information, call Cheryl Mitchel (360) 384-2730 or visit BAT's web
site: http://www.baat.com.)
This press release contains forward-looking statements that should not be
used to make an investment decision. Please refer to our web sites and other
sources for more detailed information or call Cheryl Mitchel (360) 384-2730.