AFS Trinity Files Patent Disclosing Technology for 250 Mpg 'Extreme Hybrid' Plug-In Car

AFS Trinity Files Patent Disclosing Technology for 250 Mpg 'Extreme Hybrid' Plug-In Car

May 08, 2006

Gasoline and Electricity Cost Expected to Be $8 Per Week Versus $36 for Gasoline for the Average American Driver Today

    SEATTLE, May 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- AFS Trinity Power
Corporation filed its patent application disclosing the
company's new technology for an Extreme Hybrid(TM) car
capable of carrying the average American motorist more than
250 miles on a single gallon of gasoline or ethanol.  
 
    (Photo: 
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060504/DETH037 )

    The Extreme Hybrid(TM) will plug into a house's
electrical current overnight to run without gasoline or
ethanol for the 40 miles that the average American drives
each day. For longer trips, the vehicle will operate as a
conventional hybrid that efficiently burns gasoline or
ethanol.

    "The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates
that the average American drives 300 miles per week,"
AFS Trinity CEO Edward W. Furia said. "Most days
Americans drive 40 miles or less. At $3 a gallon, this
costs about $48 a week for a conventional 20 mpg car and
$36 if the car can get 25 mpg. The most efficient
conventional hybrids get about 50 mpg which means $19 a
week. By comparison, the Extreme Hybrid(TM) will use less
than $8 per week total for fuel and electricity."

    Ricardo to help with XH(TM) drive train

    AFS Trinity plans to build the XH(TM) drive train with
the help of Ricardo, a leading supplier of automotive
design and engineering to the world's major carmakers. AFS
Trinity and Ricardo have signed a mutually exclusive
Technology Partnership Agreement to work together to
develop plug-in hybrid technology. With sufficient funding
they expect that XH(TM) demonstration vehicles could be in
the hands of fleet owners in two years and could be
licensed for mass production by car makers in three years.

    The Patent and the Technology

    The AFS Trinity patent filing discloses that Fast
Energy Storage(TM) technology, including ultracapacitors,
controllers and power electronics, will enable the Extreme
Hybrid(TM) to overcome the limitations of the energy
storage components of conventional hybrids and other
plug-in designs. 

    "This technology will permit a car to travel the
entire 40 miles of an average American's daily driving in
all-electric mode, without giving up rapid acceleration or
the ability to travel at highway speeds, all without
burning a drop of gasoline," Furia said.

    The patent filing also discloses that idle XH(TM)
vehicles will be capable of sending power back into the
grid through a vehicle to grid -- V2G -- subsystem, which
will help stabilize the power grid and reduce XH(TM)
owners' cost of electricity.

    Ownership Costs

    "The Extreme Hybrid(TM) won't only cost less to
operate on a daily basis, it will also be the first hybrid
that will save enough money from reduced operating costs to
more than offset the higher purchase price of the car,"
added Furia. "In fact, over five years, we estimate
that the XH(TM) owner will be $11,000 ahead and, over 10
years, $22,000 ahead."  

    Filling up once every 10 weeks

    "The advantages to the environment and our
independence from foreign oil are obvious, but the reason
we believe consumers will want this car is because they
will save money and because the performance of the XH(TM)
will be no different than that of conventional cars,"
Furia said.

    "To recharge the Extreme Hybrid(TM) for your daily
driving you will need to plug in your car to house current
every night, but the average American will only have to
fill up with gasoline or ethanol once every 10 weeks or so
unless they take a longer trip."

    About Ricardo

    With its North American headquarters in Van Buren Twp.,
Mich., Ricardo has been a world-leading vehicle system and
powertrain technology provider for automotive
manufacturers, heavy-duty manufacturers and tier one
suppliers since 1915. 

    Ricardo is the premium global deep-content engineering
and management consulting partner for automotive,
commercial vehicle and related industry sectors. The
company provides complete engineering services from
strategy through product concept, design release and
validation, and all phases of the product lifecycle.
Ricardo technical expertise lies in powertrain and
driveline, vehicle engineering, hybrid and fuel cell
technologies, controls and electronics, niche volume
manufacturing and advanced simulation software.

    Ricardo is committed to excellence and industry
leadership in people, technology and knowledge. A public
company based in the U.K., Ricardo plc posted sales of $272
million in fiscal year 2005 and is a part of the FTSE
techMark 100 index -- a group of innovative technology
companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more
information, visit http://www.ricardo.com . 

    More about AFS Trinity Power

    AFS Trinity was formed through the merger of American
Flywheel Systems, Inc. and Trinity Flywheel Power in 2000.
The company is headquartered in Bellevue, Wash.  with an
Engineering Center in Livermore, California. AFS Trinity's
research and development has been funded mostly by private
sources, but also through contracts with NASA, U.S. DOT,
U.S. DOE, as well as Army, Navy and Air Force prime
contractors. 

    For more information: http://www.afstrinity.com   

    Some statements in this news release are
forward-looking. These statements may be identified by the
use of words such as "will," "expects,"
"believes," "targets,"
"intends," and words of similar import. Actual
results may vary depending on circumstances both within and
outside the control of the Company including market
acceptance of products, technology development cycles and
other risk factors. AFS Trinity Power Corporation takes no
responsibility for updating any forward-looking statements
made in this release.

    Extreme Hybrid(TM), XH(TM), Fast Energy(TM), and Fast
Energy Storage(TM) are trademarks pending of AFS Trinity
Power Corporation.

    (C) 2005 AFS Trinity Power Corp. -- Patents Pending

    All Rights Reserved.

    For more information, please contact:
 
     Laurie Herrick Westdahl,
     AFS Trinity Power
     Tel:    [phone]
     Email:  [e-mail]

SOURCE  AFS Trinity Power