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Strategies & Market Trends : Action & Options- Taxikid plays -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: taxikid who wrote (4202)	8/1/1998 1:00:00 PM
From: Solon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4339

OFF TOPIC Thought you might find this interesting... PRESS RELEASE - PRESS RELEASE - PRESS RELEASE ZEVCO LAUNCHES CLEAN TRANSPORT FOR THE PEOPLE Hot on the heels of the Government's Integrated Public Transport White Paper, ZEVCO (The Zero Emission Vehicle Company) is unveiling the world's first zero emission taxi on Thursday 30 July. This revolutionary 'green' black cab is the beginning of a new era in transport technology, which, with government support, will lead the way to a healthier environment for the whole community. The new technology being introduced is literally space-age - it was first used on rockets to the moon - and has been developed by the British company ZEVCO, at the only fuel cell technology plant in Europe, based in Belgium. ZEVCO's electrochemical engine (ECE) combines hydrogen and the oxygen from air to produce electricity and water. The engine uses a fuel cell, which generates power by reversing the process of electrolysis, it then stores the electricity in batteries for use by a powerful electric motor, giving the taxi the same, if not better, performance than traditional taxis. When it comes to being kind to the environment, ZEVCO's fuel cell technology is unrivalled, but how does it rate in the other all-important categories such as noise levels, performance, reliability, convenience and cost? Zevco's fuel cell boasts minimal noise and vibration levels - it is virtually silent - and an equivalent performance to a conventional combustion engine. In addition, it is economical to run - hydrogen is cheaper than conventional fuel (œ6 per day with hydrogen compared to œ15 for diesel). As a result, even though the capital cost is currently a little higher than that of a conventional vehicle - the new taxi costs around œ2,500 more to produce than its diesel equivalent - the ZEVCO Millenium taxi is already an economically viable proposition. Among the commercial markets ZEVCO is targeting are defined route vehicles such as buses, post office and light rail and commercial delivery vehicles. ZEVCO is currently working with Britain's biggest bus manufacturer, which aims to produce an operational bus using the hydrogen fuel cell engine by the end of this year, while a postal vehicle has already been built for the Italian Post Office using the system. Another area where the engine could easily be used is captive fleet vehicles which operate within a set area such as an airport, railway station port facility or closed commercial premises. Work is already underway with one of the world's largest constructors of airport service vehicles and a leading multi-national constructor of fork lift and service vehicles to bring the ZEVCO concept to their own systems. Following the London launch of the ZEVCO Millenium taxi, plans are afoot for it to tour Europe. It will be visiting cities in France, Germany, Belgium and Italy where it will promote the taxi's environmental credentials and demonstrate the reliability and desirability of this unique technology. With automotive companies beginning to develop their own alternatives to conventional petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles, what gives Zevco's offering the edge? "We can honestly say that our technology is the only technology to have been truly tried and tested. Fuel cells like ours have been powering vital systems manned space missions for the past 30 years" comments Nick Abson, Chief Executive, Zevco. "What we have developed is the world's first commercially viable alternative to diesel power, which we believe will set the standard for a cleaner Europe."