Solectria Press Release May 30, 1999

[Karl Thidemann <karl@solectria.com>]

For immediate release:  May 30, 1999
Media contact:  Karl Thidemann, tel 978-658-2231 or karl@solectria.com

11th Consecutive Victory!
Solectria Electric Cars Take 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place at National Race

(Wilmington, Massachusetts) - Solectria Corporation announced today that
a Solectria Force
electric sedan powered by GP Nickel Metal Hydride batteries captured
first place overall in the 11th
annual Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's American Tour de Sol
("NESEA Tour") electric
vehicle (EV) championship.  The winning car, sponsored by GP Batteries
International Ltd.,
EVermont (the Vermont Electric Vehicle Program), the Northeast
Alternative Vehicle Consortium
(NAVC), and Solectria, demonstrated a driving range of 142 miles on one
charge and also won
recognition for its efficiency, reliability, acceleration, handling, and
consumer acceptability.
Approximately 50 vehicles, including EVs manufactured by Ford,
DaimlerChrysler, and Toyota,
were entered in the week-long NESEA Tour that concluded yesterday in
scenic Lake George, New
York.

This achievement marks the 11th consecutive first place victory by a
Solectria EV since the
NESEA Tour was first held in 1989.  Second place was awarded to a
Solectria Force equipped
with Ovonic Nickel Metal Hydride batteries entered by the Ovonic Battery
Company of Troy,
Michigan, while third place went to a Solectria Force with SAFT Nickel
Cadmium (NiCad) batteries
entered by the Rideshare Company of Windsor, Connecticut and the
Connecticut Department of
Transportation.

The Ethel Walker School of Simsbury, Connecticut won fifth place and the
New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation took eighth place, each team
driving a Solectria Force
powered by lead acid batteries.  "As in past years, we are again
thrilled with the success of so
many of our customers.  Time and again, they have demonstrated that
Solectria electric cars and
trucks work great in real-world driving conditions," commented Solectria
CEO James Worden.

In other highlights, a Solectria Force with SAFT NiCad batteries entered
by the New Jersey
Department of Transportation made history as the first fuel cell vehicle
ever entered in the
competition.  Also, a Solectria CitiVan electric delivery truck used by
the US Postal Service for a
daily mail delivery route in Manhattan, demonstrated a range of 71 miles
on one charge.  This
vehicle is owned by the New York City Department of Transportation, with
support provided by the
Boston Edison Company, the US Postal Service, the New York Power
Authority (NYPA), and by
the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) through the NAVC.

Solectria Corporation, a leading developer of electric vehicles and EV
components, produces
electric vehicles ranging from passenger sedans to delivery trucks.
Over 1000 electric vehicles
worldwide, ranging in size from full-size hybrid-electric transit buses
to student-built solar racing
cars, rely on Solectria's proprietary drive system technology.

###

SOLECTRIA CORPORATION
33 INDUSTRIAL WAY
WILMINGTON, MA  01887
USA
tel  978-658-2231
fax 978-658-3224
www.solectria.com