Solectria Sunrise Succeeds In Crash Test

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Press Rel/Solectria Sunrise Succeeds In Crash Test For Immediate Release: November 22, 1995

Remarkably Safe Injury Scores Credited to Advanced Material Construction

SOLECTRIA SUNRISE SUCCEEDS IN CRASH TEST

(Wilmington, MA) -- Solectria Corporation announced today the successful crash-testing of its new prototype electric sedan, the Solectria Sunrise, the world's first all-composite electric vehicle designed for mass-production. Injury levels sustained by the vehicle's two crash-test dummies in the standard 30 mph frontal impact were well within allowable limits. These extremely encouraging results confirm the feasibility and safety of the approach taken by Solectria in designing passenger vehicles constructed entirely of advanced materials.

"This full frontal crash test demonstrates that a comfortable, high-performance electric vehicle comprised wholly of composite materials can provide a high degree of passenger safety through consistent, predictable crash behavior," commented Mark Dockser, Solectria's vice president of planning and business development. "By agreeing so closely with our previous crash tests and computer simulations, these results lend real world credence to our approach in developing tomorrow's vehicles today."

The Sunrise, a full-size, 4-passenger sedan, grabbed headlines around the world this spring by traveling 238 miles on a single charge in the 1995 American Tour de Sol electric vehicle road rally in New England. Last month, it was announced that Project Sunrise had received notice of a grant totaling $6.5M from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Advanced Technology Program. The Northeast Alternative Vehicle Consortium, which coordinated the funding proposal and was named as the project administrator, indicated that the funding "will hasten technology development, enabling EV (electric vehicle) commercialization ... and pave the way for a robust new U.S. automobile industry."

Slated for introduction in model year 1998, the Sunrise is powered by the same reliable, highly-efficient AC induction drive system presently used in Solectria's production electric vehicles, the Force sedan and E-10 pickup truck. Matching these proven components with the high energy density of Ovonic nickel-metal hydride batteries in Sunrise's strong, aerodynamic body results in an electric vehicle capable of regularly traveling distances far exceeding typical fleet or commuter needs.

A leader in the electric vehicle industry, Solectria has pioneered many innovative developments in the manufacturing of advanced electric vehicles and components, including a high-performance, low-maintenance AC induction drive system, vehicle pre-heating, and an automatic battery thermal management system for optimal cold-climate performance from lead acid batteries.

Solectria electric vehicles today serve successfully in extreme environments ranging from the heat of the Arizona desert to the freezing winter conditions of Vermont. Twenty commuters now leasing Solectria Force sedans for $200/month through the Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program rate their overall satisfaction with the vehicles at "8" out of a maximum "10" points in monthly surveys, showing that today's technology already satisfies the performance and range requirements of the average urban commuter. These twenty cars have traveled in excess of 120,000 miles in their first year of service, and most of the commuters in the program renewed their annual leases. In total, more than 180 Solectria electric vehicles have collectively accumulated over one million miles in fleet use by public utilities, government agencies and private companies throughout the U.S. and around the world. ###
Contact: Karl E. Thidemann (KTHIDEMANN@aol.com) Tel#: 508-658-2231 ---

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