Press releases

ISE Corporation and The Wright Group to Produce 50 Diesel Hybrid 62-foot Rapid Transit Buses for RTC-Las Vegas

SAN DIEGO, CA, June 23, 2006 — The Board of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) recently awarded 50 diesel hybrid rapid transit vehicles to the team of The Wright Group and ISE Corporation. This award also includes two options for an additional 50 vehicles each.

The 62-foot articulated vehicles will operate on two new rapid transit corridors in the RTC's Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) system, one serving downtown Las Vegas, the other extending the MAX system to nearby Boulder City. The Wright Group will construct the futuristic 62' articulated buses known as the StreetCar in its plant in Northern Ireland. ISE will ship custom designed high power ThunderVolt® diesel hybrid drive systems to The Wright Group in Northern Ireland, where they will be installed in the chassis. These highly advanced vehicles will represent the state-of-the-art in commuter transportation when deliveries begin in early 2008.

Jacob Snow, General Manager of the RTC of Southern Nevada, commented, "The StreetCar provides us with a combination of function and style. The vehicles are attractive so they will appeal to our riders, and the hybrid engines provide the environmental benefits we wanted. The flexibility of the rubber-tire vehicles with the sleek look of light rail is the combination we were looking for."

According to The Wright Group, StreetCar is one of the most exciting concepts in urban public transport for a generation, conceived, designed and built to encourage greater use of public transport in urban areas. The system is designed with amenities that will appeal to both the casual and business riders alike. Combining the style and technology of the best in light rail vehicle design, with the flexibility and affordability of a city bus, StreetCar creates that elusive "wow" factor " something which was instrumental in RTC's decision-making process.

Commenting on the announcement, Chairman of the Wright Group William Wright said, "This is a major new chapter for the company and all its employees, both in technical and financial terms as well as further developing our presence in the North American market. Importantly, it also underlines the potential for StreetCar as a cost effective and readily deliverable alternative to infrastructure-intensive rapid transit systems throughout the world."

The StreetCar BRTs will employ the latest technologies in diesel hybrid drive system from ISE Corporation. This ThunderVolt® drive system will feature a new custom drive motor developed by Siemens for ISE with 400 kW of power and 5000 Nm of torque, a new generation of Siemens inverters with 30% greater power density, a high torque density generator rated at 260kW, a Cummins ISL 330 Hp engine with advanced ISE electric cooling system, advanced NiMH battery energy storage system from Cobasys, other ISE innovations such as electrically-driven accessories (air conditioning, DC-DC converters, and Remote Diagnostic System), all controlled and optimized by ISE's Hybrid Control Software ThunderCAN(TM).

"ISE is excited to have its drive system selected to power the Wright StreetCars for the Las Vegas RTC. Combining the Wright Group's high quality StreetCar with ISE's next generation drive system will provide a premium product offering riders an attractive, comfortable interior in a futuristic vehicle drive by a smooth, quiet, highly efficient hybrid drive system," said David Mazaika, CEO of ISE Corporation. "The Las Vegas RTC/Wright program represents a further expansion of ISE's European hybrid activities with the company now supplying products to OEMs in four European countries and a growing international recognition that ISE's hybrid drive systems offer excellent performance, are environmentally friendly, are highly flexible, and provide best value features."

About The Wright Group:
The Wright Group is the United Kingdom's leading supplier of accessible buses for public transportation systems throughout the country. The Wright Group has pioneered low floor buses in the UK, and has earned a reputation for producing vehicles which are stylish, durable, high in quality and packed with innovative features. With partnerships in North America and continental Europe, the Wright Group is expanding its product range and customer base to ensure it is well positioned to service the future needs of public transportation throughout the world.

Contact:
Jonathan Poynton
Director, The Wright Group
www.wrightbus.com

About ISE Corporation:
ISE Corporation, based in San Diego, is a leading supplier of hybrid drive systems and components for heavy-duty vehicles such as buses, trucks, trams, airport equipment, and military vehicles. ISE is a world leader in electric, hybrid-electric, and fuel cell technologies, and the U.S. distributor for Siemens ELFA® electric and hybrid-electric drive components.

Contact:
Gary Willms
Vice President of Business Development, ISE Corporation
gwillms@isecorp.com
www.isecorp.com

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