From:
News Source
newssource@ cox.net

Below are the results from this year's Tour de Sol Green Vehicle
Competitions.

For further information, please contact
Nancy Hazard
413-774-6051
nhazard@ nesea.org
413.774.6051 x18

James Dunn
jdunn@ ctc.org
508.870.0042 x108

Modified Hybrid Vehicle Breaks 100 MPG Barrier
In National 2005 Tour de Sol

Advanced Vehicles Demonstrate Zero Oil-Consumption,
Reduced Climate-Change Emissions

Greenfield, MA - May 16, 2005 - A modified hybrid vehicle, a Honda Insight
driven by Brian Hardegen of Pepperell, MA, has broken the
100-mile-per-gallon barrier over a 150-mile range in the National 2005 Tour
de Sol held May 13-16 in Saratoga Springs and Albany, NY. A student team
from West Philadelphia High School in Philadelphia, PA, has taken top honors
with its purpose-built hybrid vehicle, which uses biodiesel instead of
gasoline and produces 77% less climate-change emissions compared to a
conventional gas car.

During the National 2005 Tour de Sol - the 17th annual sustainable-energy
and transportation festival and competition -- over 60 hybrid, electric and
biofueled vehicles from throughout the U.S. and Canada demonstrated that we
have the technology today to power our transportation system with zero-oil
consumption and zero climate-change emissions. Each vehicle showed new ways
to reduce our dependence on foreign oil while reducing harmful pollutants.

"Each year, the Tour de Sol highlights the largest innovations in
alternative-energy technology and advanced fuel vehicles, showcasing the
future of the clean-energy and transportation industry," said New York State
Gov. George E. Pataki. "Over the last 10 years, we've invested unprecedented
funding into the research and development of clean-fuel technology and
currently deploy more than 4,300 clean-fuel vehicles in our state-operated
fleets. I'm proud that many of the cars and components featured in this
year's Tour de Sol are being developed right here in New York State,
creatingnew markets and jobs for the 21st century while helping to clean our
air and reduce our dependence on foreign oil."

"The students, businesses, New York State government officials, auto
companies producing advanced vehicles, and people using new hybrid and
biofuel vehicles in the Tour de Sol are the new American heroes of the 21st
century," said Nancy Hazard, executive director of the Northeast Sustainable
Energy Association in Greenfield, MA, organizer of the Tour de Sol. "Every
American is a winner because of their efforts to design, build and use
advanced vehicles that aim to reduce imported oil and climate-change
emissions today - offering an alternative solution to the energy and
climate-change crises that threaten life as we know it"

Thousands of people came to see the vehicles and talk with the people
participating in the three exciting competitions held during the National
2005 Tour de Sol. There were 41 entrants in the new Monte Carlo-style Rally,
with several participating in the 100 MPG Challenge. The top-placing
vehicles in the Monte Carlo-style Rally were: a Honda Insight driven by Mike
Lewis of Portland, ME, averaging 79 MPG; a Toyota Prius driven by Jean Couto
of Marlboro, MA, with 61 MPG; and a biodiesel Volkswagen Passat, delivering
77 MPG over a 500-mile range.

"We were very pleased by the performance of the various production vehicles
entered in the Monte Carlo-style Rally and 100 MPG Challenge," said James
Dunn, CEO of the Center for Technology Commercialization in Westboro, MA.
The overall average performance of the 29 Toyota and Honda hybrid sedans
exceeded 60 MPG, with a modified Honda Insight from Brian Hardegen of
Pepperell, MA, delivering 107 MPG and a "plug-in" Toyota Prius from Valence
Corp. in Austin, TX, averaging 102 MPG over a 150-mile range. The average of
the 5 biodiesel vehicles was nearly 53 MPG, including the 20 MPG average of
the Ford F250 pickup truck entered by Vogelbilt in West Babylon, NY. Two
remarkable production vehicles were new Ford Escape hybrid SUVs from the New
York State Energy Research and Development Authority as well as RadAir in
Parma, OH, achieving 35 and 43 MPG, respectively.

The most interesting overall vehicle was the novel "plug-in" hybrid
demonstrated by Valence Corp. and EDrive in Monrovia, CA. This is a modified
Toyota Prius with a much larger battery pack than the normal Prius, and
charged with external grid power. On a 150-mile run, this vehicle achieved
102 MPG on the gasoline used, but also used 9 kilowatt-hours of electricity
required to charge the special lithium-ion batteries, which cost less than
$1 to recharge. Although this vehicle would be relatively expensive to buy
if available today (due to extra battery cost) plug-in hybrids may become a
viable future technology.

In the Tour de Sol Championship, which showcases concept vehicles built by
students and entrepreneurs as well as some production vehicles, all but two
of the entrants approached zero oil use by powering their vehicles with
biodiesel, electricity, solar or natural gas. Of these, St. Mark's High
School in Southboro, MA, and North Haven Community School, North Haven, ME,
demonstrated true zero-oil consumption and true zero climate-change
emissions with their modified electric Ford pick-up and Volkswagen bus,
respectively, At home, they recharge their vehicles from wind and solar -
demonstrating what can be done when electric vehicles are recharged by
"clean electricity", which can be purchased throughout the U.S.

Three top-placing teams -- West Philadelphia High School, Quebec Advanced
Transportation Institute (ITAQ) in St. Jerome, Quebec, Canada, and Western
Washington University in Bellingham, WA -- demonstrated incredibly low
greenhouse-gas emissions by running their vehicles on biodiesel. The ITAQ
entry got 67 MPG in a diesel Mercedes SMART vehicle.

The E-bike and NEV Competition attracted over a dozen vehicles ranging from
recumbent electric tricycles, to stand-up scooters, electric bicycles, and
4-wheeled /4-passenger NEVs (neighborhood electric vehicles). What all these
vehicles have in common is that they run on electricity and are designed to
meet our needs for local "around town" trips. The incredible efficiency of
these lightweight vehicles truly demonstrates what can be achieved in the
field of fuel efficiency. OptiBike of Boulder, CO, took first place with
their pedal-assisted electric bike.

In addition to the vehicles participating in the National 2005 Tour de Sol,
there were over 30 displays from auto, bus and NEV manufacturers, business
and government leaders, all working together to produce clean transportation
solutions for the U.S., Canada and beyond. Displays included: Toyota's
hybrid Prius, Highlander SUV and Lexus RX 400h; Honda's three hybrid
sedans -- Insight, Civic, and Accord -- its natural-gas Civic GX, and the
FCX, one of its 30 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles; natural-gas, propane and
hybrid buses and trucks; emission-reduction technologies for new ceramic
brakes; biodiesel suppliers; and lithium-battery manufacturers.

BACKGROUND:

Monte Carlo-style Rally & 100 MPG Challenge

The Monte Carlo-style Rally was created this year to offer advanced vehicle
owners the opportunity to demonstrate what their vehicles (production-line
or modified) can deliver as well as to compete for up to $10,000 in prizes.
To compete for the 100 MPG Challenge (which no entrant achieved this year)
entrants began at one of the 11 official stating sites around the U.S. and
Canada and drove a minimum of 500 miles to Stewart's Shops in Saratoga
Springs, NY. Other entrants traveled a minimum of 150 miles to Saratoga
Springs, for other prizes.

Key Monte Carlo-style Rally organizers are the Automotive Career Development
Center and the Center for Technology Commercialization, with Stewart's Shops
and biodiesel supplier Environmental Alternatives providing the fuel for all
the entries. This year, 40 teams entered the new Monte Carlo-style Rally.
E-Bike and NEV Competition The E-bike and NEV (neighborhood electric
vehicle) competition was created last year by RunAbout Cycles in Sunderland,
MA. E-bike and NEV manufacturers, distributors, entrepreneurs, hobbyists and
students are invited to participate in this two-day event. This year, over a
dozen entrants went through technical specification checks, displayed their
vehicles and participated in a range events of one, two or three hours. Tour
de Sol Championship Over a half million consumers have visited the Tour de
Sol since its creation in 1989 by the Northeast Sustainable Energy
Association (NESEA), and over 40 million print- and electronic--media
exposures accrue from the Tour each year. The Tour de Sol provides a key
platform for vehicle manufacturers, students and entrepreneurs to
demonstrate future designs and current products that aim to reduce oil and
carbon emissions to zero. The event provides news media the opportunity to
provide timely and topical updates on the status of sustainable energy and
mobility. This year, over a dozen teams participated in the Tour de Sol
Championship which began in 1989. It aims to inspire students and businesses
to design, build, showcase and use concept vehicles that push the envelope
and work toward the ultimate goal of the event.

Sponsors
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the Center
for Technology Commercialization are the event's Premier Sponsors. Key
Sponsors are the U.S. Department of Energy, the New York Power Authority,
Toyota, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New
York State Parks, Honda, Environmental Alternatives, and the Federal Highway
Administration.

NESEA - NESEA, the nation's leading regional education and advocacy
association, is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. NESEA aims to
accelerate the deployment and use of renewable energy and energy efficiency
by producing major sustainable-energy events that inspire and motivate large
numbers of people to get involved and make a difference.

For more information on all of the winners in the National 2005 Tour de Sol,
visit
http://www.TourDeSol.org
or contact NESEA at
413.774.6051