Environmental Lab Testing of Two-stroke Engines Confirms Over 80% Reduction of HC and CO Harmful Emissions With Advanced Fuel Carburetor and Cat Converter.

Business Editors & Enviromental Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 2000

Advanced Fuel Technologies, Inc., Apple Valley, CA, (AFT) announced that independent tests confirm that AFT has achieved a breakthrough that should allow snowmobiles as well as other two-stroke powered vehicles, to be operated in an environmentally acceptable manner. Independent tests completed by California Environmental Engineering (CEE), Santa Ana, California on a 2000 Polaris 550 snowmobile engine equipped with an AFT carburetor and a catalytic converter, confirmed that the engine generated 80% less hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) exhaust emissions than the same engine with stock components. HC and CO are the two main pollutants produced by a gasoline-fueled engine. Engine performance using the AFT carburetor was improved. This emission levels reduction would extend to other two-stroke powered vehicles including other snowmobiles, watercraft, motorcycles, and industrial applications.

Michael Edmonston, AFT Vice President, commented that, "the tests conclusively prove that harmful emissions levels of HC and CO from the popular two-stroke engine can be cleaned up while improving engine performance." He continued. "Testing of the engine was under rigid conditions at the environmental testing labs of California Environmental Engineering. The CEE test results confirmed that the Polaris 550 snowmobile engine at idle, which is typically quite polluting over the time period required for snowmobile start and warm up, had the idle level of grams/hour (g/h) of hydrocarbons reduced to 7.79 from a baseline level of 1,005.7 g/h (a 99% reduction). Baseline is the measure of the stock engine before installation of our AFT carburetor and a catalytic converter. The carbon monoxide emissions level at idle was reduced to 28.6 g/h as compared to a baseline of 861.3 g/h (97% reduction)." The Polaris 550 snowmobile tested was under one year old with approximately 5,500 miles of use at Yellowstone National Park this past winter.

"At one-third throttle which simulates the 45 mph speed limit in Yellowstone National Park," Edmonston noted " the reduction of HC and CO was 76% to 374.89 g/h and 75% to 668.9 g/h respectively, versus a baseline of 1,540 g/h (HC) and 2,701 g/h (CO). Overall, for starting, warm up, and operating the snowmobile within the National Park speed limits, HC and CO emissions levels are reduced 85% and 80% respectively. For higher speeds simulated by 2/3 throttle, reductions of HC and CO were 43% and 74% respectively."

William (Red) Edmonston, President, and Chief Technical Officer of AFT, noted that "the final emissions testing was a precursor to the demonstration of the snowmobile and its enhanced performance at Yellowstone National Park in March 2000 under actual operating conditions. The three days of field use of the Polaris 550 and also a Polaris 600 with AFT carburetors and a catalytic converter permitted many people from fleet owners, US National Park Service executives, state officials, Yellowstone Park snowmobile guides, and others to use the sleds in natural conditions. Not only can snowmobiles be over 80% cleaner with more horsepower, but also winter riders now have the safety margin of a 20 to 25 mile extended range provided by the fuel efficiencies of our carburetor. We can deliver these carburetors and catalytic converters for approximately $500 for installation on most snowmobiles."

William Edmonston noted that "our goal is to help the people using over 2,000,000 snowmobiles in the US and Canada get better performance from their snowmobile and to become environmentally friendly. We will provide a low cost after-market kit that can easily be installed on existing snowmobiles that reduce HC and CO emissions by 75% - 80%. We will also be introducing aftermarket kits for the environmentally sensitive and regulated areas of watercraft (over 10,000,000 personal watercraft and outboard engines) and two-stroke off-road vehicles (over 1,200,000)."

"Coupled with our successful two-stroke Honda motorcycle tests conducted at CEE in 1998" concluded William Edmonston, "we have now conclusively demonstrated that we have the low-cost technology to clean up widely used two-stroke engines. Both the United States National Park Service as well as the California Air Resources Board tell us that no other party or manufacturer has submitted any third party tested technology to clean up two-stroke engines. Interested parties to the proposed snowmobile ban in Yellowstone National Park are currently utilizing the test results to seek a middle ground solution. A possibility being recommend is that the proposed snowmobile ban applies only to snowmobiles not equipped with technology to meet emission levels produced by the AFT carburetors and a catalytic converter."