AeroVironment, Altair Nanotechnologies (Altairnano), Micro-Vett and Go Green Holding have jointly announced the successful public demonstrations of the all-electric Fiat Doblò to government officials and potential commercial customers in Oslo, Norway. On October 2nd, half-way through an ongoing 60-day demonstration, the Micro-Vett Fiat Doblo, a regular size 5-seat station wagon vehicle, powered by a custom 18 kWh Altairnano high performance NanoSafe battery pack, travelled 300 kilometres (186 miles) in an urban delivery circuit. The custom battery pack was fully recharged in less than ten minutes a total of three times using AeroViroments' high voltage, 125kW rated, rapid charging system. The vehicle will be driven an estimated total of 7,500 kilometres during the 60-day demonstration period, which translates to an annual equivalent use of 45,000 kilometres.

The Fiat Doblò is designed both as a commercial medium-duty transport vehicle, as well as a regular size family car. Micro-Vett has been converting standard vehicles to electric drive for the past 20 years, and today, they have a wide range of passenger and utility vehicles available for sale. Go Green expects to ship up to 20 Micro-Vett vehicles with Altairnano's 18 kWh NanoSafe battery packs to customers in the next several months, and an additional 250 vehicles are planned for shipment in 2008. Altairnano offers a range of NanoSafe battery packs for all-electric vehicles requiring from 10 to 35 kWh of energy storage.

"This alliance of innovative companies is a powerful combination that is committed to providing clean transportation on a global platform," said Asbjorn Slordahl, Go Green Holdings' chief executive officer. "With battery packs from Altairnano, and fast-charge infrastructure from AeroVironment, these roadway-ready, all-electric vehicles converted by Micro-Vett and distributed by Go Green are a powerful example of what happens when you combine the right technology, with the right providers, at the right time."

"This is a key step forward in demonstrating the viability of all-electric vehicles, and the fast charge infrastructure necessary to enable their practical use," said Joe Edwards, vice president and general manager of AeroVironment's Energy Technology Center. "This demonstration proves that the technology to deploy electric vehicles for everyday use is available and ready. Our PosiCharge fast charge technology has demonstrated itself to be reliable for the daily operation of thousands of heavily used, low voltage electric industrial vehicles throughout North America and increasingly in Europe, Australia and Asia. Using PosiCharge to support high voltage electric vehicles is a natural extension."

"This public demonstration in Norway demonstrates another all-electric vehicle platform that is powered by Altairnano's unique lithium Titanate NanoSafe battery pack product line. The NanoSafe battery packs are safe, powerful, fully rechargeable in less than ten minutes with rapid charge systems, have long life and operate in extreme temperatures," said Alan J. Gotcher, Ph.D., Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc.'s president and chief executive officer. "With more than 1,700 electric-powered vehicles in the country, Norway is taking a proactive approach in the adoption of all-electric vehicle technology and products. Our innovative battery technology, which is capable of thousands of re-charge cycles, provides a necessary ingredient for the adoption of EVs around the globe."

"Micro-Vett has been manufacturing electric vehicles since 1987 and so we constantly follow energy accumulation systems evolution, from batteries to fuel cells," said Massimiliano Di Gioia, Micro-Vett Vice President. "Until now we've seen some developments, but Altairnano's fast charge batteries have the potential to revolutionize electric vehicles and also the automotive industry. It was very exciting to see Doblo's charge level indicator going up visibly in Oslo. With Altairnano's fast charge batteries, we can overcome the primary electric vehicle limitation because we can achieve refuelling times comparable to those of gasoline-powered vehicles."