PTC Group's ''Clean Air Alliance'' Takes Next Step
29 January 1999
PTC Group's ''Clean Air Alliance'' Takes Next Step: Zero Emission ''Millennium'' Taxi to Debut in New York Next Week
VANCOUVER, British Columbia--Jan. 28, 1999--PTC Group, Inc. (NASDAQ OTC: PWRE) is pleased to announce that it is expanding its role in support of the previously announced "Clean Air Alliance" with Zevco Ltd. and PTC Holdings, Inc. (see news Jan. 6, 1999)
In addition to its support of the development of stationary fuel cell systems, PTC Group has joined with Malcolm Bricklin's new company, EVX, Inc., to demonstrate the first commercially viable fuel cell vehicle system in the United States. On February 1-3, a modified London Taxi, the "Millennium Taxi," will be shown to the press, politicians, and the investment community in New York City.
This will also be the official announcement of the launch of a joint development between PTC (the soon-to-be-merged combination of PTC Holdings, and PTC Group, OTC Symbol: PWRE), Zevco, and EVX. This joint effort will develop electrochemical engines (ECEs) based on Zevco alkaline fuel cell technology for installation in large fleets of commercial vehicles to be retrofitted by EVX. The proprietary manufacturing processes developed by Zevco and soon to be transplanted to the US by PTC for EVX will allow for the use of fuel cells as a cost-cutting measure as opposed to a subsidized novelty.
In order to actually do something about clean air, EVX is focusing its efforts on the 9 million fleets already in operation. To quote Malcolm Bricklin, "Our children's lungs can't wait for new vehicles to be cleaner. We must clean up the existing fleet with today's technology."
The Zero Emission Vehicle Company Limited (ZEVCO) was formed in the UK in 1994 to develop and commercialize an integrated zero emission vehicle system for a wide range of commercial and industrial vehicles. It has already successfully demonstrated several, including a London Taxi and an airport tug. Zevco's core fuel cell technologies were acquired in 1995 through the acquisition of all assets of Elenco BV, a Belgian company with a 16-year development history and a total investment of some 30 million pounds. Since this acquisition, the company has focused on the development of cost-effective manufacturing processes and strategic partnerships. This proposed activity with PTC will become a springboard for the launch of Zevco as a major player in the fuel cell systems markets in the US and North America.
PTC Holdings, Inc. is a two-year-old, California-based company committed to becoming, through its regional and international joint ventures, a major builder, owner and operator of seawater desalination systems running on environmentally friendly power sources such as hydrogen fuel cells. PTC Holdings sees its propriety design and manufacturing processes, combined with the Zevco fuel cell technology, as a commercially viable path to renewably fueled, greenhouse gas neutral systems. Initial pilot plants are planned for the Caribbean, the ASEAN Region, and Greece.
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The above statements in regard to the reorganization of PTC Holdings, Inc. and PTC Group, Inc. which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including PTC Groups' beliefs, expectations, hopes or intentions regarding the future. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and are based on information available to PTC Group, Inc. as of such date. It is important to note that actual outcome and the actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include risks and uncertainties such as technological, legislative, and marketplace changes.