Ballard Affiliate dbb Rolls Out Next Generation Fuel Cell Bus Engine

11 October 1999

Ballard Affiliate dbb Rolls Out Next Generation Fuel Cell Bus Engine

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia--Oct. 11, 1999-- Ballard Power(TSE:BLD.) Ballard Power Systems announced today that its affiliate company, dbb fuel cell engines inc. rolled out a bus powered by its pre-commercial zero-emission fuel cell bus engine, which uses Ballard(R) fuel cells, at the International Public Transportation Exposition in Orlando, Florida.
    "We are very excited by the advancements that dbb has achieved in their new bus engine," said Ballard Chairman and CEO Firoz Rasul. "They have demonstrated a real ability to integrate knowledge gained during field trials and lab testing into a more advanced bus engine. This dbb engine also uses the latest generation of production Ballard fuel cells."
    Almost 2,000 kilograms (4,000 lb) lighter than its predecessor, the Phase 4 (P4) engine was designed using knowledge gained during in-service testing of buses using Phase 3 (P3) engines in Chicago and Vancouver, B.C. The 205kW(275 hp) P4 engine is less complex than the P3 thanks to a reduction in the number of components. Also, to facilitate servicing, off-the-shelf components have been used in the P4 design in place of custom components used in the P3 engine.
    "This Phase 4 engine marks a revolutionary change from our previous generation engine," said Dr. Ferdinand Panik, President of dbb fuel cell engines inc. and head of DaimlerChrysler's fuel cell project. "It is now ready to go to bus manufacturers for the development and sale of zero-emission buses. We will begin full commercial production in 2002."
    The new engine will be available for use in buses that will operate as part of the California Fuel Cell Partnership Driving for the Future. That partnership is working with California transit agencies to test approximately 25 buses.
    dbb fuel cell engines inc. is based in Vancouver, Canada and is a result of an alliance formed between DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company and Ballard Power Systems. Its parent company, dbb fuel cell engines GmbH, is responsible for the development and manufacturing of fuel cell engines for automobiles, buses and trucks. dbb fuel cell engines inc. is responsible for the development of fuel cell engines for heavy duty applications and the first product to be developed is for transit buses.
    Ballard Power Systems is the world leader in developing, manufacturing and marketing zero-emission PEM fuel cells for use in transportation, electricity generation and portable power products. Ballard Power Systems' proprietary fuel cell technology is enabling automobile, electrical equipment and portable power product manufacturers to develop environmentally clean products for sale. The fundamental component of these end-user products is the Ballard fuel cell that combines hydrogen (which can be obtained from methanol, natural gas or petroleum) and oxygen (from air) without combustion to generate electricity. Ballard is partnering with strong, world-leading companies including DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GPU International, ALSTOM and EBARA to commercialize Ballard fuel cells. Ballard has also supplied fuel cells to General Motors, Honda, Nissan, Volkswagen, Yamaha, Cinergy and Matsushita Electric Works.
    Ballard's Common shares are listed on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "BLD" and on the Nasdaq National Market System under the symbol "BLDP". Ballard and the Ballard logo are registered trademarks of Ballard Power Systems Inc.