Press releases

ISE Corporation Announces New Army Contract for Hybrid Truck

SAN DIEGO, CA, July 19, 2004 — ISE Corporation (ISE) today announced it has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Army to develop a new hybrid-electric power train in a demonstrator truck that is part of the Army's Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV).

The high performance FMTV, built by Stewart & Stevenson Tactical Vehicle Systems, LP (TVS) is the "platform of choice" for combat arms and other support applications. Its chassis is the platform beneath the Army's new high Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). It is also the platform for a Height-Reducible Electronic Enclosure (HREE) and a new class of variant known as the Load Handling System (LHS). It also serves as an experimental platform for a tilt bed transporter of an XM777 Light-weight Howitzer and for the Mongoose, a minefield breaching system.

On the new Army contract, ISE is working with TVS, under a contract administered for the Army by Aerospace Engineering Spectrum, to integrate a variant of ISE's ThunderVolt® hybrid-electric drive system into a 5-ton capacity FMTV test vehicle.

The hybrid-electric drive system installed into the FMTV truck will have similar components to the hybrid systems ISE has successfully demonstrated in several transit bus models since 2001. The Caterpillar diesel engine that drives the FMTV will be reconfigured to generate electrical power, using the same type of Siemens generator ISE uses in its bus drive systems. The electric power from the generator will then be routed to two pair of Siemens motors, which will drive the vehicle's axles. A deep-cycle battery pack will augment the engine-generator power source, providing surge power for acceleration, and facilitating "regenerative braking." The whole process will be controlled using ISE's ThunderCAN control system.

According to Don Szkubiel, Future Tactical Truck System Manager for the Army's National Automotive Center (NAC), "The NAC is looking forward to working with Stewart & Stevenson and ISE to see how ISE's promising technology can meet future military tactical vehicle requirements." The ISE hybrid drive system is expected to offer several benefits, including improved fuel economy, reduced harmful emissions, greater operating range, and reduced noise. ISE's advanced control system will enable the FMTV truck to travel for several miles on battery power alone, with the engine turned off, thereby providing a "stealth" operating capability sought by the Army. The ISE system can also provide onboard electrical power for other devices that may be used in conjunction with the FMTV.

"ISE is pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate the advantages of ThunderVolt® hybrid-electric drive technology in a military tactical vehicle," according to Michael Simon, ISE's Chairman of the Board. ISE has targeted military vehicles, along with transit buses and commercial refuse trucks, as the most promising markets for its hybrid-electric technology. ISE's "series" hybrid-electric drive system is particularly well suited to heavy vehicles that perform large amounts of stop-and-go driving, or which require large amounts of auxiliary power for onboard electrical accessories. ISE believes that its diesel hybrid buses, three of which are operating in New Jersey, are the most fuel efficient transit buses operating in the United States.

Under the new Army contract, installation of ISE's hybrid drive system into the FMTV truck will be completed by the end of 2004, after which the vehicle will be subjected to a series of tests to demonstrate its performance using ThunderVolt® technology. The ThunderVolt® solution is one of several hybrid-electric drive technologies being evaluated by the Army and Stewart & Stevenson for the FMTV. ISE hopes to see many FMTV trucks use the ThunderVolt® hybrid system by the end of this decade. Since 1991, Stewart & Stevenson has produced more than 24,000 FMTV trucks and trailers.

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.

For more information on ISE Corporation and its high-performance, environmentally friendly vehicle products, please contact Mr. Tom Bartley, Director of Marketing at phone/fax (619) 287-8785/8795 or visit the company's newly redesigned Web site at www.isecorp.com.
� ISE Corp 2004