''Zero polluting commuting'' starts as Bay Area drivers take electric ''station cars'' from rail to work.

EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 24, 1995--An entirely new commuting option that promises ``zero polluting commuting'' kicked into gear Tuesday with the launching of the nation's largest demonstration of station cars -- clean electric cars used to drive between rail transit stations and home or work sites.

The first eight new, purpose-built electric cars of an eventual fleet of 40 began ferrying commuters from a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station in Berkeley to their work at a software company in Emeryville, linking workers with rail transit and eliminating the need for long trips in gasoline cars.

The San Francisco Bay Area Station Car Demonstration project will by next summer operate from four BART stations -- Ashby, Walnut Creek, Lafayette and Colma -- in a two-year test of the viability of electric cars for short commutes and of station cars to draw more commuters onto transit.

In another novel approach, the electric cars being used are two- passenger, personal electric cars designed and built by Personal Independent Vehicle Co. (PIVCO) of Norway. They are being customized for California for both station car and consumer use, and will be built in-state by 1997. Target price -- $10,000.

BART Board President Michael Bernick said: ``This provides another demonstration of BART's bold plans to lead the way into the user-friendly, emission-reducing `all-electric commute' of the 21st century.''

The Bay Area station car project came into being as a unique team effort of several public and private organizations looking for ways to lower air pollution, increase transit ridership and create new California jobs.

The team includes BART; the Bay Area Air Quality Management District; CALSTART, California's advanced transportation consortium; the California Energy Commission; Pacific Gas & Electric Co.; PIVCO; Green Motorworks, which provides vehicle maintenance; and Sybase, the software company using the first cars in the program.

``This team is a perfect example of what California can accomplish when it works together,'' said Michael J. Gage, CALSTART's president and chief executive officer. ``We're not only testing out a novel new way to commute and give flexibility to rail transit -- we're also demonstrating a new kind of clean, efficient and fun personal car California workers will soon be building.''

Studies show that thousands of commuters who drive long distances actually work or live close to a BART station, but have no easy link to BART. Therefore, the station car concept will be demonstrated in a variety of settings: home to BART station; station to work site; and pool cars for work sites by BART, PG&E and Sybase workers.

The cars will be leased for between $100 and $150 a month, depending on use, and will mainly be recharged at BART stations at sites operated by PG&E to assess future electric vehicle needs. Recharging should take only 2 to 3 hours with a 220-volt system.

``This is a rolling research laboratory for us and a prototype of the `plug-in station' for a new generation of non-polluting cars,'' said Anthony Harris, PG&E vice president of sales. ``This is our most ambitious project yet that will tell us a lot about the driving habits of Bay Area commuters and the electric needs of the cars they're driving.''

Making it work means finding work sites and employees willing to take part. Sybase, the world's sixth largest independent software company, is leasing the first vehicles in the project for its workers as part of its commitment to cleaner air, employee convenience and advanced technology.

By encouraging workers to ride transit, then giving them a means of easily getting from transit station to work, Sybase can also meet trip reduction requirements in the Bay Area intended to lower vehicle-caused air pollution.

``We're excited about the potential for station cars and the personal flexibility it gives our workers,'' said Mark Hoffman, Sybase CEO.

``We also think it's fitting that we take part in a project that creates a new approach to solving problems, in this case pollution and congestion. Finding new solutions is what our employees do each day at work -- now even their commutes reflect that spirit.''

CALSTART -- a California-based, non-profit consortium of more than 140 participating companies and organizations -- is dedicated to the creation of an advanced transportation technologies industry in California, creating high-quality jobs and cleaning the air.

CONTACT: CALSTART

Bill Van Amburg/Dave Sotero, 818/565-5600

or

Bay Area Rapid Transit

Mike Healy/Vicki Mills, 510/464-7110/7115

or

Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

Bill Sessa, 916/446-6616

or

Sybase

Robert Manetta, 510/922-5742