EVLN(Chattanooga Ebus production success story)

[Bruce EVangel Parmenter <brucedp@yahoo.com>]

EVLN(Chattanooga Ebus production success story)
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
 informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
 --- {EVangel}
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_24464.asp
Ferguson Gives Electric Bus Success Story
by Melissa Elkins  posted July 25, 2002

Electric bus production has been a success story in
Chattanooga, Rotarians were told Thursday.

"As many of you know, the air quality in Chattanooga from
the 1970s up until the early 80s was horrible. We were in
the process of losing downtown," Joe Ferguson told Rotary
members in his program entitled "You Make What in
Chattanooga?"

AVS, Advanced Vehicle Systems, was formed in 1992 and cut
its first deal in 1993. The purpose of this company
originated when Carta buses were becoming involved in the
development of downtown Chattanooga.

The company's vision was to provide over 1,000 parking
spaces downtown as well as provide a clean, quiet and free
form of transportation for the downtown area. The revenue
earned from the parking spaces would be used to fund the
free shuttle service that was being developed.

"It is amazing to think that we started a company of such
high technology right here in Chattanooga. Other cities have
used our electric and hybrid-electric bus systems as a model
for their systems," Mr. Ferguson said.

When an electric bus system was introduced in Miami Beach,
Fla., 1.5 million people participated in the first year.
"This system kept 1.5 million vehicles off the road. Not
only are we cutting back on traffic, but we are also cutting
back on air pollution," Ferguson said.

The hybrid-electric bus created by AVS won the title of most
innovative vehicle in the 2002 Tour de Sol contest.

"Our electric buses have made quite an impact. Our company
is the leader in electric and hybrid-electric vehicle sales
in the United States. We are also the technology leader in
heavy duty hybrid- electric vehicles," Rick Hitchcock,
official of AVS, added.

The future goals of AVS include focusing on series hybrid
designs to incorporate advanced energy storage, replacing
mechanical components with silicon, owning or controlling
critical technology, and applying core competence to
additional platforms.

"We are in the process of testing delivery trucks run by
electric power. This will cut back significantly on the
amount of diesel fuel that is polluting our air," Mr.
Hitchcock said.

Fuel cell vehicles are estimated to be available within the
next 5-10 years, it was stated.

"I know the demand is there. We just need to work on the
reliability and durability of our product," Mr. Ferguson
concluded.
-



=====
' ____
~/__|o\__
'@----- @'---(=
. http://geocities.com/brucedp
. EV List Editor & RE newswires
. http://egroups.com/group/evangel
=====

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better
http://health.yahoo.com