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UK
-- December 06, 2004 Stagecoach Group is to roll out
the use of the next-generation fuel additive Envirox™
across its entire UK bus fleet after the success of
a 12-month commercial evaluation.
The
Perth-based international transport group announced
today (insert date) that its tests of the product
in the north west of England and London had delivered
more than a 5% cut in fuel consumption and an associated
decrease in vehicle emissions.
Last
year, Stagecoach signed an agreement with Cerulean
International Ltd, the Oxford-based subsidiary of
the nanomaterials company Oxonica Ltd, to trial the
product in up to 1,000 vehicles across the country.
Now
the fuel additive will be rolled out over the next
six months across Stagecoach’s 7,000-strong bus fleet,
which operates from the Highlands of Scotland to south
west England.
Brian
Souter, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, said: “We
are extremely excited about the potential of this
product, not just for our business, but for the whole
of the public transport and logistics sector.
“Fuel
is one of the biggest costs in the transport industry
and the savings this product is able to deliver will
help us continue to provide value-for-money bus services
that attract people to public transport. It will also
help improve the environmental impact of our operations
and the quality of life in our towns and cities.
“Stagecoach
is committed to playing its part in building a sustainable
environment. Along with our trials of hybrid electric
bus technology, this innovation is further evidence
that we are leading the transport industry in developing
new ideas.”
Dr
Kevin Matthews, Oxonica Group Chief Executive, said:
“Oxonica is developing nanotechnology that addresses
real market needs and Envirox is the first example
which we are commercialising through our wholly-owned
subsidiary Cerulean International.”
Stuart
Anderson, Business Director of Cerulean, said: “Cerulean
is working to introduce Envirox in a number of national
markets around the world. We are delighted that Stagecoach
has recognised the value of the benefit that the product
brings and are excited by the opportunity within the
UK transport market.”
Nanotechnology
research is a key technology of the 21st century and
is used to design and build materials at the atomic
scale. Scientists work in nanometres, each of which
is 1/80000th of the diameter of a human hair.
The
fuel additive Envirox™ is based on a well-known oxidation
catalyst widely used in catalytic converters. The
material has been re-engineered using Oxonica’s nanotechnology
expertise to allow it to be delivered as a fuel-borne
catalyst, leading to a cleaner burn within the combustion
chamber, resulting in improved fuel efficiency and
lower emissions. No engine modifications are required
to use the product, it has no impact on lubricant
performance and the optimum dose rates are low.
Oxonica
was created in 1999, to commercialise intellectual
property developed over seven years at the University
of Oxford by Professor Peter Dobson and Dr Gareth
Wakefield. Oxonica has gone on to add further intellectual
property to its portfolio, and currently has in excess
of 35 patent families.
Cerulean International Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary
of Oxonica Ltd, a high-technology company working
in the field of applied nanotechnology - science on
the atomic scale.
Stagecoach Group is a leading international transport
operator, with bus and rail operations in the UK,
the United States and New Zealand.
More than two million people a day travel on Stagecoach
bus services in the UK, which cover around 100 towns
and cities from the Highlands of Scotland to the south
west of England.
Oxonica Contact:
Judith Elkington
+44 (0) 1865 856 700
judith.elkington@oxonica.com
Copyright
© Oxonica
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