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Ford Motor Company and Biosphere 2 Team up for a Cleaner Environment

24 February 2000

Ford Motor Company and Biosphere 2 Team up for a Cleaner Environment

    ORACLE, Ariz., Feb. 23 -- Ford Motor Company
demonstrated its commitment to protecting the environment today with the
donation of three natural gas Econoline vans to Biosphere 2 -- Columbia
University's environmental research facility in Oracle, Arizona.
    "This donation demonstrates the commitment of Ford Motor Company and
Biosphere 2 to energy conservation, environmental protection, and developing
new technology," said Dr. William Harris, president of Biosphere 2.
    The vans run on either natural gas or gasoline and provide the facility
with an environmentally friendly option for meeting local transportation
needs.  Currently, the vans are used to transport students and visitors at the
complex.
    "Our focus here at Biosphere 2 is to better understand the earth's complex
ecosystems and how build-up of substances in the atmosphere such as carbon
dioxide affect these systems," said Chris Bannon, vice president of
operations.  "Natural gas vehicles have less impact on the environment than
gasoline vehicles which is a step in the right direction."
    Bannon added that Biosphere 2 plans to add other alternative fuel vehicles
to their fleet in the next few years.
    Officials at Biosphere 2 also hope to build a $70,000 high-pressure
natural gas filling station to service the three new vans.  In the future, the
station could be used to fill other natural gas vehicles within the local
community.
    Ford's Scientific Research Lab, which donated the vans, and Biosphere 2
are working toward a further understanding of the environment.
    "People in the Scientific Research Lab's atmospheric research center study
the impact automobiles have on the environment.  Our research as well as the
research being done at Biosphere 2 will help us develop cleaner, more
environmentally friendly automobiles," said Neil Ressler, vice president,
Research and Vehicle Technology and Ford Motor Company's chief technical
officer.
    Ford offers the Econoline van and F-Series truck in both bi-fuel and
dedicated natural gas version.  Ford also offers the dedicated natural gas
Crown Victoria, which is the only factory-produced, natural-gas powered full-
size passenger sedan available and one of the first vehicles to meet CARB's
LEV II emissions standard -- years before regulatory requirements.