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EPIC Electric Minivans to Shuttle Passengers At Busy LA Airport

5 January 2000

DaimlerChrysler's EPIC Electric Minivans to Shuttle Passengers At Busy Los Angeles World Airport

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich. and STUTTGART, Germany, Jan. 5 --
Hundreds of thousands of air travelers will be experiencing electric vehicle
technology in traveling to and from Los Angeles World Airport as the first 10
DaimlerChrysler Electric Powered Interurban Commuter (EPIC) minivans join the
fleet of Xpress Shuttle.
    The five-passenger minivans, which represent DaimlerChrysler's
state-of-the-art electric vehicle presence in California, are
being added to the shuttle company's fleet, each expected to log up to 100,000
miles of service per year, an unprecedented workout for an electric vehicle.
The breakthrough comes thanks to EPIC's unique fast-charging capabilities that
allow the minivans to quickly refuel with electricity and return to the road.
    Eventually, up to 50 EPICs could be in service at Xpress Shuttle,
California's second largest shuttle service and one of only three with
contracts to serve Los Angeles World Airport.  Shuttle and taxi services
operating out of the airport are bound by contract to include vehicles powered
by alternative fuels, as California continues to address its air and noise
pollution concerns.
    "This project continues DaimlerChrysler's commitment to work with the
State of California in addressing their unique air quality problems.  With the
Xpress Shuttle program, hundreds of thousands of Californians will experience
electric vehicle technology, and DaimlerChrysler will gain valuable knowledge
about the vehicles' performance over hundreds of thousands of miles of real-
world travel," said Susan M. Cischke, Senior Vice President - Regulatory
Affairs and Passenger Car Operations.
    Passengers won't be able to distinguish the sparkling EPIC minivans from
their gasoline-powered Dodge Caravan counterparts because the batteries are
installed in an aluminum tub under the vehicle.  The electric power port for
recharging is located right where one would expect to find a gas cap.
    However, it's what EPIC doesn't have that sets it apart from other
minivans:  No internal-combustion engine means no harmful pollutants released
into the air -- and far less noise.
    "Xpress Shuttle will be able to move a lot of people for zero emissions,"
said James C. Cerano, DaimlerChrysler's Engineering Program Manager for the
EPIC.
    Commuters won't have to trade creature comforts for environmental
friendliness, either.  EPICs can go up to 80 miles per hour and are equipped
with air bags, antilock brakes, air-conditioning and power door locks.  "With
the EPIC, we're trying to give our electric customers the same conveniences
they would find in a gas-powered vehicle," said Cerano.
    The EPIC can carry a payload of 925 pounds -- about five passengers and
175 pounds of cargo.  The current model is powered by 28, 12-volt advanced
nickel-metal-hydride batteries that deliver up to 80-90 miles per charge.  In
addition, the batteries can be fast-charged in about 30 minutes, a feature
that can keep them on the road as many as 16 hours a day.
    This fast-charge capability is unique to DaimlerChrysler, said C. Fred
Roberts, DaimlerChrysler Senior Manager - Vehicle Development Team EPIC.
"Without it, these vehicles could not be used as shuttles."
    AeroVironment Inc. of Monrovia, Calif., is providing the EPIC fast-
chargers for this project.  Where a traditional charger delivers six-to-seven
kilowatts and recharges an electric vehicle in five-to-seven hours, the EPIC
fast-charger operates at much higher power (60-150 kilowatts) and has the
minivan back at close to full charge within a half-hour.
    "The people at DaimlerChrysler should be patting themselves on the back --
they have produced a very nice-performing vehicle, and the only vehicle that
could fit this application," said Sam Smith, president of Sentry Hill
Management Group in Los Angeles, which is coordinating the EPIC minivan
project at the airport.
    Besides DaimlerChrysler, Xpress Shuttle and the Los Angeles World Airport,
the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power are
participants.
    DaimlerChrysler is leasing the EPIC minivans to Xpress Shuttle on a zero-
down lease for $450 each per month.
    Xpress Shuttle conducted an extensive training program for drivers and for
dispatchers, who rely on computers and high-tech Global Positioning Satellites
to track each vehicle at all times -- right down to how fast they're going.
    That state-of-the-art tracking system is instrumental in ensuring that the
EPICs are used effectively and efficiently, and will give engineers valuable
data as they study even newer technologies.  Based on preliminary
calculations, EPICs will carry more than 500,000 commuters per year, more than
any other program of its kind.
    "We'll be exposing a lot of people to this new technology," said Mike
Clement, Director of Alternative Fuel Vehicle Sales and Marketing for
DaimlerChrysler, "people who until now have associated electric vehicles with
golf carts.  They're in for a pleasant surprise."