AE Signs Accord

AFS TRINITY SIGNS ACCORD WITH AUSTIN ENERGY
The Auto Channel
August 17, 2006

"An accord that was signed this week in Seattle and Austin should put Americans one step closer to seeing the 250 MPG AFS Trinity Power Corp (AFST) Extreme Hybrid ™ car on the road," according to AFS Trinity CEO Edward W. Furia.

The AFST/Austin Energy (AE) memorandum of understanding sets the stage for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) to be put into the participating fleets of Plug-in Partners (PIP) consortium of utilities and municipalities.

Although many hurdles still need to be surmounted before the first Extreme Hybrid™ rolls into a PIP participant fleet, "we took a big step today," said Roger Duncan, the Deputy General Manager of Austin Energy which is the founding participant of PIP.

Duncan said, "The deal we signed today gives PIP participants the opportunity to be among the first to order AFS Trinity Extreme Hybrid™ vehicles. PIP's job is to encourage our members to lease these vehicles.

"AFS Trinity's job is to complete development of the prototype and involve an automotive OEM as a development partner. All of these things must be accomplished for the agreement to work."

Duncan said that PIP regards this agreement as one of the most important developments to date in the plug-in hybrid field. The AFS Trinity technology is expected to permit PHEV cars and SUVs to have the same acceleration and highway speed performance in all-electric mode (when zero fuel is used) as when they are operated as conventional hybrids.

In essence, for the first 40 miles that are driven, the XH™ is expected to have all of the benefits of a fully electric vehicle—zero fuel consumption and zero emissions but with performance equal to a conventional vehicle. (more)

About Austin Energy & Plug-in Partners

Launched by the city of Austin, Texas, and its municipally-owned and operated electric utility, Austin Energy, Plug-in Partners' goal is to demonstrate to automakers that a market exists for plug-in hybrid vehicles by recruiting partners in local governments, national security organizations, utilities and civic and environmental groups.

The hope is that with sufficient public interest and demand, carmakers, who have been reluctant to invest in the technology, will respond with viable, affordable products, from cars to delivery vans.

Since its launch in January 2006, most of the 50 largest U.S. cities, other municipalities, many States, Councils of Governments (COGs) and over 200 of the nation's electric utilities have become participants in Plug-in Partners.

These organizations are expected to issue thousands of purchase orders to lease or buy the first PHEVs for their fleets. The US Conference of Mayors and other national municipal, security, civic and environmental organizations have endorsed the PIP initiative.

For more information, see http://www.pluginpartners.com


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