Here is the Czech Skoda Plzen article for those who may not have seen it.
Bloomberg
Automobile News
Tue, 20 Oct 1998, 11:48am EDT
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Czech Skoda Plzen to Sell Canada 'Revolutionary' Bus (Update 1)
Prague, Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Skoda Plzen As, the Czech Republic's biggest engineering company
by sales, said it will take part in a project to supply "revolutionary" fuel cell-powered electric buses to
Canada as it seeks to diversify its business.
Skoda, which says it has 60 percent of the world's trolley bus market, signed a memorandum with
British Columbia's Prime Minister Glen Clark, outlining its business in the province. Skoda teamed up
with Daimler-Benz Ballard, a German-Canadian venture, to produce environmentally friendly transport
equipment in a project backed by the World Bank. "This is a revolutionary technology," said Skoda's
technical director, Jan Musil. "This could set up a basis for new functioning of the transportation
equipment division" of Skoda Plzen.
Canada's Ballard Power Systems Inc. has developed fuel cell power systems, which are zero-emission
engines converting hydrogen and other fuel into electricity without combustion. It is working with
Daimler Benz AG and other companies to use the technology in cars.
Skoda will supply the chassis, body and controlling systems for the new electric buses, drawing on
its experience in trolley bus production. Ballard will supply the fuel cells.
Vancouver 2000
The first fuel cell-powered buses could begin operating in Vancouver in the year 2000, Skoda said. If
successful, the company could supply about 50 buses a year to Vancouver and possibly sell them to
other Canadian provinces, Musil said. Skoda will also help overhaul Vancouver's older trolley buses.
Musil also said the company will send two electric buses to be tested in Beijing next year as part of a
project financed by the World Bank. The company also offered to supply electric buses for Czech
spa town Karlovy Vary, also known as Carlsbad.
Skoda, which posted a loss in the past three years, sold its power company and an aluminum can
company this year in an effort to streamline operations and cut costs.
Skoda spokesman David Soukup said the company updated its turnaround program at the request of
one of its main shareholders, Komercni Banka AS, the biggest Czech bank. The company will decide
by the end of November which businesses will be developed and which will be dropped.
Competitive "The main measure is high competitiveness of the products," General Director Lubomir
Soudek said in a statement.
Skoda plans to continue selling unneeded property and cutting costs.
By the end of 1999, Skoda will change its structure into six divisions: metallurgy, nuclear energy and
petrochemicals, energy, transportation systems, heavy engineering and general engineering, the
company said in a statement.
Skoda shares closed at 185 koruna ($6.39), up 2.2 percent from yesterday's close. Skoda Plzen is
unrelated to Skoda Auto AS, German carmaker Volkswagen's Czech unit. |
