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Technology Stocks : Energy Conversion Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Futurist who wrote (2714)	12/1/1998 10:21:00 AM
From: see clearly now	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 8393

Okay ..now does anyone know how many people in the organizational family are working on research; on technology development; on securing agreaments/joint ventures; on patents development/application; on patent protection; on Pr and so on...would be interested in the continued capability to capitalize on "The stuff we've got will bust your mind."?..anyone want to add to this?

To: Futurist who wrote (2714)	12/2/1998 4:42:00 PM
From: Futurist	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 8393

November 30, 1998 New York's heart still with electric vehicles C.D. "Rapp" Rappleyea Chairman and CEO New York Power Authority When the courts struck down New York state's 1998 mandate that 2 percent of the cars and light trucks sold in the state this year be "zero emission" vehicles, many people considered it the end of the road for electric vehicles in the Empire State. Don't believe it. New York still is leading the charge for electric vehicles. Gov. George Pataki has made the advancement of EVs and other clean-fuel vehicles a high priority. While upholding the mandate may have been the most controversial and--as a consequence--the most publicized part of the New York's EV efforts, it certainly was not the Empire State's only EV initiative. Gov. Pataki has successfully pushed for tax incentives, state financing for clean-fuel vehicles and infrastructure, and acquisition of EVs for government fleets and mass transit. He also has made it clear to us at the New York Power Authority that he expects New York's public-power agency to play a leadership role in electric transportation. In 1997, the governor fought for and won new tax incentives for clean-fuel vehicles. New York now provides a tax credit up to $5,000 for clean-fuel cars and light-duty vehicles, and $10,000 for heavy-duty vehicles. Over the next five years, the alternate-fuels tax credit can provide $50 million worth of incentives. New York's tax code also requires the purchase of clean-fuel vehicles and their supporting infrastructure to be exempt from state sales tax. Voters solidly approved the governor's Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act in November 1996, which included $55 million for clean-fuel vehicles. That money is funding hybrid-electric transit buses for metropolitan New York. Recently, several buses produced by both Orion Bus Industries of Oriskany and Nova Bus of Niskayuna went into service, and more are on the way. Bond act funding also was approved for electric shuttle bus projects in Albany and Manhattan. To coordinate the deployment of EVs and other clean-fuel vehicles in the state fleet, the governor asked New York's commissioner of general services to head a state Clean Fuel Vehicle Council. The council's 14 members include the state's largest agencies and public authorities. The Power Authority is the largest supplier of electricity for mass transit in the country. Our power runs the subways and commuter trains in metropolitan New York. So it's not surprising that we are playing a significant role in Gov. Pataki's plans for EVs in the state. Some examples: Station car program: Since we provide power to the suburban commuter railroads, one of our first EV initiatives was conducted in cooperation with Metro-North Railroad and IBM, one of our business customers in Westchester County. Our station car program put charging stations and Solectria Corp. EVs at commuter rail stations to use for car-poolers. As a result, we've given some IBM workers an all-electric commute. Small electric station cars can be a breakthrough market for automakers with the right products. It's a good match of need, technology and demographics. Customers' fleets: We also have worked very aggressively to review the needs of our business and governmental customers to determine how EVs can fit those needs. We provide them with light-duty electric cars and trucks to help us and the manufacturers assess performance and find the best use for the vehicles. Electric school bus: The Northeast's first electric school bus is being tested in the Bronx under a NYPA pilot program. Small urban electric vehicles: We have helped to introduce a variety of battery-powered bicycles, three-wheeled and other utility vehicles into use by public agencies, business improvement districts and industrial sites. Our work with the New York Police Department has helped to make EVs a regular sight at Yankee Stadium. Electric delivery trucks: We also have found that New York's urban setting offers great opportunities for electric delivery vehicles. In a variety of projects, we are working with the Northeast Alternative Vehicle Consortium, Solectria, the New York City Department of Transportation and the U.S. Postal Service to exploit this important niche for EVs. It is important to point out both the environmental and the economic impact of electric vehicles. EVs not only contribute to New York's clean air initiatives, but they also boost economic development. For example, the new hybrid-electric transit buses that are bringing cleaner air to New York City also are providing jobs for workers in several communities Upstate. The Power Authority administers funding for the new Alternative Fuels Technology Center, an incubator and testing center at the former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, now the Griffiss Business and Technology Park. We hope that a future tenant of the park will be Baker Electromotive, a Virginia company that plans to convert U.S. Postal Service vehicles to run on electricity. This is an exciting project that can bring a number of new jobs to a community that suffered the economic hardship of a base closing. We also are working with Lockheed Martin and the Northeast Alternative Vehicle Consortium on a hybrid-electric truck for the New York City Department of Sanitation. This project not only offers cleaner air for New York City and jobs for Upstate, but the promise of a refuse truck that can operate in a noiseless, "stealth" mode. Electric vehicles have a distinct and important role to play in our environmental, economic, energy and transportation strategies. The court ruling that struck down the 1998 mandate did leave intact a requirement that 10 percent of the vehicles sold in 2003 be "zero emission." As you can tell from the array of electric vehicle initiatives, the Empire State won't be sitting idle when it comes to putting EVs on the road.