Pickens Fuel Corp., Ed Huestis of Vacaville Receive WestStart Blue Sky Award

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TO TRANSPORTATION, ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Pickens Fuel Corp., Ed Huestis of Vacaville Receive WestStart Blue Sky Award

South Coast Air Quality Management District Recognized With Blue Sky

Merit Awards for Industry Leadership to Quantum Technologies, Enova Systems

and the Southern California Edison Electric Vehicle Fleet

CALIFORNIA, PASADENA, Mar. 8 -/E-Wire/-- Pickens Fuel Corp. and Ed Huestis, transportation manager for the city of Vacaville, Calif., have won WestStart's 5th Annual Blue Sky Award(TM) for their marketplace contributions to advanced, clean transportation, specifically for their efforts to get more alternative fuel and electric vehicles on the road.

Additionally, WestStart has recognized the South Coast Air Quality Management District with the Charles R. Imbrecht Blue Sky Innovation Award for its progressive leadership in pushing the 1190 series rules, the most far-reaching alternative fuel fleet rules in the nation.

The Blue Sky Award(TM) is presented each year by WestStart -- the advanced transportation consortium -- to recognize outstanding marketplace contributions to advanced, sustainable transportation that cleans the air, improves energy efficiency and helps reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

Pickens Fuel Corp. is recognized for its commitment to assisting fleets to convert to alternative fuels by making it affordable for them. Pickens developed an economic business model for natural gas vehicle fueling stations, which links an "anchor' tenant -- a high fuel consuming fleet -- to the station to amortize the fixed costs over the gallons sold. The model, now an industry standard, has been successful in helping fleets switch to natural gas while simultaneously building economically viable stations.

"Pickens Fuel has demonstrated real leadership and commitment to helping fleets convert to clean-burning natural gas,' said John Boesel, president of WestStart. "Long before any private companies considered owning and operating stations as a viable business, Pickens developed its economic model for fueling stations, which has made it affordable for fleet operators to convert their vehicles.'

Also receiving a Blue Sky Award for the public sector is Ed Huestis, transportation systems manager, city of Vacaville. Huestis has transformed Vacaville into the most "EV friendly' city in Northern California, installing public charging stations throughout the city and purchasing EVs for city employees. Most notably, Vacaville is the only local government entity in the state to provide an additional $4,000 buy-down toward the purchase/lease of an EV.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is recognized with the Charles R. Imbrecht Blue Sky Innovation Award for its progressive leadership in pushing the precedent-setting 1190 series alternative fuel fleet rules. With these rules, the SCAQMD has implemented the most far-reaching fleet rules in the nation, requiring the use of cleaner alternative fuels. The rules are having a significant impact in terms of cleaning the air and stimulating the clean transportation technology industry.

"The South Coast's fleet rules have had a truly significant impact in stimulating the market for clean alternative fuel vehicles,' added Boesel. "They not only provide benefits for our air, but for an important industry as well.'

Three Blue Sky Merit Award(TM) winners were also announced for 2000. They were presented to individuals, organizations or companies for contributions to bringing clean-fuel vehicles to market and helping increase awareness of their need. Merit Award winners are:

* IMPCO Technologies has been a leader in the propane, natural gas and fuel-cell systems market. In its 42-year history, it has produced more than 4 million gaseous fuel systems and components. A wholly owned subsidiary of IMPCO, Quantum Technologies Inc. is a Tier 1 supplier to the OEMs for gaseous fuel system technologies. Quantum's Advanced Technology Center, the only facility of its kind in the world, is totally focused on the development of clean emission advanced fuel technologies. * Enova Systems is rapidly becoming a leader in the design, development and manufacture of electric drive systems and components for electric, hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles. It has demonstrated its ability to design and produce products and systems for all advanced technologies. * The Southern California Edison (SCE) Electric Vehicle Fleet, with 302 electric vehicles, is the largest of any utility fleet in the nation. The SCE electric vehicle fleet has produced real-world results in cleaning up the air. Since its inception in 1995, it has logged in excess of 5.2 million zero emission miles, eliminated 1.2 million pounds of air pollutants and prevented the formation of 3.6 million pounds of CO2.

Formal presentation of the awards will take place at Blue Sky Award 2000 Luncheon on Tuesday, May 1, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Dr., La Canada-Flintridge. Winston Hickox, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, will be the guest speaker and award presenter. Tickets for the event are $75 per person, $750 per table (tax deductible) and are available by contacting WestStart-CALSTART at 626/744-5600, ext. 5609, or visit the company's Web site at www.calstart.org/.

Members of the Blue Sky Award(TM) selection committee are made up of representatives from industry as well as environmental organizations, including WestStart, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Union of Concerned Scientists, the Coalition for Clean Air and the American Lung Association.

WestStart, and its California operating division, CALSTART, is an advanced transportation technologies organization that focuses on developing new, clean technologies and solutions in transportation. Working with private partners worldwide, WestStart provides technology development and demonstration, industry analysis, marketing, business development and fleet implementation services. Its expertise includes electric vehicles, natural gas vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and fuel-cell technologies.

Susan Romeo, 626/744-5600

http://www.calstart.org

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