ABN Newswire

Team Trev Successfully Crossed the Finish Line of Zero Race at the United Nations Palais de Nations

newsroom@abnnewswire.net — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 08:41:45 GMT

During Zero Race, Team Trev drove 28,000km across 16 countries in 80 days of driving. The team drove from Geneva to Shanghai, from Vancouver to Cancun, and from Casablanca back to Geneva. Trev drove across deserts and across mountains, through remote rural areas and through some of the world's largest cities, on all types of roads, in all types of weather. The energy cost of the journey was less than AU$400 worth of electricity generated from a wind farm in South Australia.

The net emissions were zero.

Trev will now be shipped back to Australia, and will hopefully arrive in early April. We are planning a team function in coming months, to celebrate our achievements and to thank our sponsors.

Trev was sponsored by:
Google, ABN Newswire, Galaxy Resources, Eco Green and Catcon.

Trev is owned by the University Of South Australia.

Andrew Dickson
Team Trev
http://www.teamtrev.com

World First Emission Free Race Around The World Starts Final Leg

newsroom@abnnewswire.net — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:50:04 GMT

The first race around the world with has started its final leg in Casablanca, Morocco. The three electric cars had started on 16. August 2010, in Geneva, Switzerland. When the final part of the global circumnavigation is completed in Geneva, on 24 February, 2011, the teams will establish a new world record for the fastest world circumnavigation in electric cars, and a major milestone in the history of electric vehicles. If that comes true, Jules Verne's dream of travelling around the world in 80 days would have come true again - via a more ecologically sustainable way.

The vehicles have started their 72nd driving day in Casablanca, Morocco on 16th February for their final leg. 8 more days remain before reaching United Nations Palace in Geneva. The completion of the first Zero Emission Race around the world in 80 days proves that electric vehicles are efficient and reliable, even when driving across continents, deserts, mountains and variable road and weather conditions.

Electric vehicles are efficient and reliable

In times of climate change and energy crisis, the Zero Race wants to show the world that readily available and reliable technological solutions exist to stop global warming, and it is possible to be independent from fossil fuels. "So far, we covered 25000 km across 18 countries in 71 driving days, and we are proud that the race is still running on the hour, as planned, without any delay!" added Louis Palmer, tour director and initiator of Zero Race.

With shrinking resources and the impacts of global climate change, the ZERO Race strives to present the solutions for a better and greener future. The ZERO Race is not about speed, but about other judgment criteria including vehicle reliability, energy efficiency, utility to every day life, design and safety. On a regular basis, teams face competition against new criteria in these categories, and they receive points according to their performance in each. So far, the Swiss Oerlikon Solar Team is leading ahead of Germany's Vectrix team and Australia's team TREV.

The Zero Race is the world's longest and green car race

The ZERO Race is a "green" event, and participants are doing everything possible to travel in a responsible way. Any greenhouse gas emissions created from the event, including the shipping of cars and flights by participants, will be compensated by investments into renewable energy projects through myclimate. Each team already produced enough power for their vehicle from renewable energy sources including as solar and wind, and this has been fed into the grid in their home country.

What is ahead

The next Zero Emissions Race plans are already under way, and it will take place in September 2011 in Europe.

ZERO EMISSIONS RACE ONLINE at:
http://www.zero-race.com/

The entire ZERO Race is documented with stories and photos on Zero Race Daily Blog

ZERO RACE COMMUNITY

Join the Zero Race community for more daily updates and photos about the race.
Some of the sponsoring companies in the ZERO-Race include;

Team Trev
- Galaxy Resources Limited (ASX:GXY) (PINK:GALXF)
- Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)
- ABN Newswire

Zerotracer
- Oerlikon Corporation AG (VTX:OERL)

For more information contact:

Louis Palmer
Initiator and Tour Director  
louis.palmer@zero-race.com

The World First ZERO Emissions Race Makes Stop in Vancouver

newsroom@abnnewswire.net — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 09:46:18 GMT

The first ever Zero Emissions Race is rolling into Vancouver on November 12th - the first stop on the North American leg of this incredible international journey and the only Canadian stop on the tour. Started on August 16th, 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland, racers have, so far, covered 16,000 km. Participants have been driving 100% electric vehicles running on renewable energies up to 500km a day since the race began - with a goal of completing their around the world journey in just 80 days of driving.

This race represents a major milestone in the history of electric vehicles. According to Tour Director Louis Palmer, the ZERO Race aims to prove the efficiency and reliability of electric mobility: "The purpose of the race is to show that zero emission vehicles running on renewable energy use technologies that are available and reliable today. With shrinking resources and the impacts of global climate change, the ZERO Race strives to present the solutions for a better, and greener future. This is the powerful message that we want to bring to the World Climate Change Conference in Cancun at the beginning of December."

Media are invited to see the vehicles and speak to race participants on Friday, November 12 from 9:00am to 11:00am at the Public Plaza at the former Athletes' Village. (Millenium Waters Development).

Despite tough weather and road conditions, not to mention the fatigue of driving upwards of 500km a day during what amounts to the longest and hardest electric car race to date, the teams are holding up well says tour director Louis Palmer, "The race has crossed Russia, Kazakhstan and China and arrived on schedule within the hour in Shanghai where the vehicles have been loaded onto a ship to Vancouver."

The ZERO Race is not about speed, but about other judgment criteria including vehicle reliability, energy efficiency, utility to every day life, design and safety. Almost each day, the teams face these challenges and receive points according to their performance in each. So far, the Swiss team is leading Germany and Australia.

The ZERO Race is the world's longest green event

The ZERO Race is a "green" event, and participants are doing everything possible to travel in a responsible way. Any greenhouse gas emissions created from the event, including the shipping of cars and flights by participants, will be compensated by investments into renewable energy projects through myclimate. Each team has already produced enough power for their vehicle from renewable energy sources including solar and wind, and this has been fed into the grid in their home country.

The ZERO Race is supported and welcomed by Vancouver Electrical Vehicle Association and other grass roots organizations along the west coast of North America. The event is also backed by the Globe Foundation in Vancouver, and sponsored by Canadian Solar.

The race will come to an end in January where it started: at United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. If all goes as planned, Jules Verne's dream of traveling around the world in 80 days would have come true - via a more ecologically sustainable way.

Key Dates in North America

Vancouver      November 12
Seattle        November 13
Portland       November 14
San Francisco  November 16/17
Los Angeles    November 19/20
Las Vegas      November 22
Cancun         December 5

The next Zero Emissions Race plans are already under way, and it will take place in 2011.

ZERO EMISSIONS RACE ONLINE
The entire ZERO Race is documented with stories and photos on Zero Race Daily Blog at, http://www.zero-race.com/

ZERO RACE COMMUNITY
Join the Zero Race community for more daily updates and photos about the race.

Some of the sponsoring companies include:

- Galaxy Resources Limited (ASX:GXY) (PINK:GALXF)
- Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)
- Oerlikon Corporation AG (VTX:OERL)
- ABN Newswire

The ZERO Race is supported by

- The Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association
- Canadian Solar
- Consulate General of Switzerland in Vancouver
- Globe Foundation

For more information contact:
Louis Palmer
Tour Director, ZERO Race
louis.palmer@zero-race.com

Don Chandler
Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association
Mob: +1-604-307-1136

Zero Emissions Race - Around The World in 80 Days With Zero Emission Vehicles - Has Successfully Arrived in Shanghai

newsroom@abnnewswire.net — Tue, 5 Oct 2010 15:04:28 GMT

The Zero Emissions Race has successfully arrived in Shanghai, China, after 46 days on the road and 16783 kms of driving across Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and China. Out of the four teams that started the race on August 16th in Geneva, Switzerland with their 100 % electric vehicles, three have made it to Shanghai successfully on time, and according to original schedule. This accomplishment represents a major milestone in the history of electric vehicles. The Zero Race just helped prove the efficiency and reliability of electric mobility, even when driving across continents, in deserts and mountains and through variable road and weather conditions.

During this longest and hardest electric car race ever, the challenges of the Zero Race have been extremely hard to cope with at times at a personal level, exacerbated by the fatigue of 500 km daily driving, and the tough road conditions in many places. Despite these difficulties, according to tour director Louis Palmer, "the teams are doing extraordinary well, and the race has arrived according to schedule in Shanghai, where they can now enjoy a few days for maintenance, cleaning and preparations for maritime shipping to Vancouver Canada. So far, no major technical difficulties have occurred with the cars"

Vehicles are reliable and efficient

The aim of the race is to show that zero emission vehicles running on renewable energies are technologies for the future that are ready, and reliable already today. With shrinking resources and the impacts of global climate change, the ZERO Race strives to present the solutions for a better and greener future.

The ZERO Race is not about speed, but about other judgment criteria including vehicle reliability, energy efficiency, utility to every day life, design and safety. Almost each day, the teams face competition against new criteria in these categories, and they receive points according to their performance in each. So far, the Swiss team is leading ahead of Germany and Australia, while the South Korean Team had dropped out of the race due to technical difficulties.

The Zero Race is the world's longest green event

The ZERO Race is a "green" event, and participants are doing everything possible to travel in a responsible way. Any greenhouse gas emissions created from the event, including the shipping of cars and flights by participants, will be compensated by investments into renewable energy projects through myclimate. Each team already produced enough power for their vehicle from renewable energy sources including as solar and wind, and this has been fed into the grid in their home country.

What is ahead

Three vehicles from Switzerland, Germany, and Australia are expected to arrive at the next World Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico, at the end of November, and the race should come to an end in January where it started: at United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. If that comes true, Jules Verne's dream of travelling around the world in 80 days would have come true - via a more ecologically sustainable way.

Some of the sponsoring companies include:

- Galaxy Resources Limited (ASX:GXY) (PINK:GALXF)
- Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)
- Oerlikon Corporation AG (VTX:OERL)
- ABN Newswire

Louis Palmer
Tour Director
Tel: +41-79-343-88-01 (sms only)
Email: louis.palmer@zero-race.com

Trev Arrived In Shanghai

newsroom@abnnewswire.net — Tue, 5 Oct 2010 13:47:58 GMT

The two seat renewable energy vehicle (T.R.E.V.) Trev has arrived in Shanghai, and has therefore completed the first of the three major legs of Zero Race. The team has now driven about 16,000km on the journey since departing Geneva on August 16th.
One of the other entrants in the Zero Emissions Race, ZeroTracer, has consistently been the fastest and most reliable competitor so far, being a high performance, highly refined production vehicle. Trev, on the other hand, is a prototype built by keen amateurs, and is designed for urban commuting rather than circumnavigations, so the team is thrilled at how Trev is performing. Team Vectrix is also doing a fabulous job, overcoming electrical issues to remain in the race.

Motorcycles aren't allowed on the Chinese motorways, so ZeroTracer and Team Vectrix have often been forced onto the secondary roads. Trev has been able to remain on the motorways though because it is a car instead of motorcycle, despite the rules banning three wheeled vehicles. Trev looks like a normal car from the front, so by the time tollbooth operators realise that Trev has only three wheels, we've already driven off.

Congratulations to all Zero Race participants and organisers in making it to Shanghai safely and on schedule. The next leg of the journey is across North America to Cancun in Mexico, in time for the UN Climate Change Conference in late November.

Trev, ZeroTracer, Team Vectrix and the Zero Race support vehicle have been loaded into a shipping container, and will shortly be loaded onto a ship bound for Vancouver. Zero Race recommences in Vancouver on November the 5th.

Andrew Dickson 
Email: andrewdickson2009@gmail.com

The ZERO Race Continues, Around the World in 80 days with Zero Emission Vehicles!

newsroom@abnnewswire.net — Mon, 13 Sept 2010 17:45:49 GMT

The ZERO Race has travelled 28 days and 9500 km since its departure on August 16 in Geneva, Switzerland. This marks the completion of a third of the entire journey of an 80-day journey around the world with 100% electric vehicles. The aim of the race is to show that zero emission vehicles running on renewable energies are technologies for the future that are ready, and reliable already today. With shrinking resources and the impacts of global climate change, the ZERO Race strives to present the solutions for a better and greener future. Four participating teams from Australia, South Korea, Germany and Switzerland are taking part in the challenge during this inaugural event.

Vehicles are reliable and efficient

The ZERO Race is not about speed, but about other judgment criteria including vehicle reliability, energy efficiency, utility to every day life, design and safety. Almost each day, the teams face competition against new criteria in these categories, and they receive points according to their performance in each. So far, the Swiss team is leading ahead of Germany and Australia, while the South Korean Team had dropped out temporarily in Berlin, as they had to install a new battery management system. The team is optimistic to rejoin the race soon.

The Zero Race is the world's longest green event

The ZERO Race is a "green" event, and participants are doing everything possible to travel in a responsible way. Any greenhouse gas emissions created from the event, including the shipping of cars and flights by participants, will be compensated by investments into renewable energy projects through myclimate. Each team already produced enough power for their vehicle from renewable energy sources including as solar and wind, and this has been fed into the grid in their home country.

The challenges so far

During this longest and hardest electric car race ever, during the past weeks, the teams faced different challenges, including almost non-stop rain across Eastern Europe and Russia, and difficult road conditions. Despite these difficulties, according to tour director Louis Palmer, "the teams are doing extraordinary well, and the race has arrived according as scheduled in Astana, Kazakhstan, where they enjoyed a day for vehicle repairs and maintenance. So far, no major technical difficulties have occurred, although shaking from bumpy roads, shorter daylight periods and very limited sleep made it a hard challenge physically for each team member".

What is ahead

The four vehicles from Switzerland, Germany, Australia and South Korea are expected to arrive at the next World Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico, at the end of November, and the race should come to an end in January where it started: at United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. If that comes true, Jules Verne's dream of travelling around the world in 80 days would have come true - via a more ecologically sustainable way.

The next Zero Emissions Race plans are already under way, and it will take place in 2012.

ZERO EMISSIONS RACE ONLINE:
at http://www.zero-race.com/

The entire ZERO Race is documented with stories and photos on Zero Race Daily Blog:
http://www.zero-race.com/en/follow-zero-race-online/

ZERO RACE COMMUNITY

Join the Zero Race community on Facebook for more daily updates and photos about the race.

Some of the sponsoring companies include:

- Galaxy Resources Limited (ASX:GXY) (PINK:GALXF)
- Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)
- Oerlikon Corporation AG (VTX:OERL)
- ABN Newswire

Louis Palmer
Tour Director 
Email: louis.palmer@zero-race.com
Mobile: +41-79-343-88-01 (sms)

ZERO RACE - Around the World in 80 days with Zero Emission Vehicles

newsroom@abnnewswire.net — Wed, 28 July 2010 13:40:00 GMT

The ZERO Race is an 80-day race around the world with 100% electric cars running on 100% renewable energies, starting on 16 August in Geneva, Switzerland. The ZERO Race is a modern adventure, propelled by clean energies and trend-setting technology organised by Swiss solar pioneer Louis Palmer.

In 2008, Louis Palmer (winner of the European Solar Price), was the first person to drive around the world in a solar powered car called the Solartaxi. He crossed 38 countries in 18 months along 54 000 km and reached the attention of an estimated 770 million people worldwide with this project. The idea to organise an emissions free car race around the world with participants from all corners of the planet is thus a natural continuation of the Solartaxi project.

After more than two years of preparations, there are five teams from four continents partaking in the inaugural ZERO Race, all of whom Louis Palmer met en route his Solartaxi adventure. After he inspired them to build innovative electric cars, each participating ZERO Race team developed prototypes. They represent South Korea, Australia, Spain, the USA and Switzerland. Louis Palmer then invited them to join him on his new world first project: to drive around the world in 80-days with zero emissions vehicles, where he will play the role as supervisor and tour director of the event, and continue to spread his message that there are plenty of practical, every day life solutions to climate change issues! As Louis Palmer says: "...With the ZERO Race, I want to show that almost 7 billion humans worldwide need renewable energies and clean mobility as solutions to the petrol and climate crisis... and we are all in running against time..."

Each participating ZERO Race team must contribute to renewable energy production in their homeland and feed it into the public grid, so this power can be withdrawn for the vehicles en route. The ZERO Race is not only about speed, but about other judgment criteria, including vehicle reliability, energy efficiency, utility to every day life, design and safety.

After the start in Geneva, the ZERO Race will cross Switzerland, where interested spectators can admire the teams and their vehicles. The way then leads to Brussels, before heading to Vienna, Moscow and Shanghai. The cars travel to Vancouver aboard ships. The ZERO Race will then continue on the west coast of North America all the way to Cancun, Mexico, where the vehicles will be on show at the United Nations World Climate Conference. From Mexico, the vehicles will be shipped to Lisbon, Portugal. The event then traverses south-west Europe to complete the global journey. After 80 days of travel along some 30000 km through 16 countries with 150 stopovers in cities for press events, the ZERO Race will finish in January 2011 in Geneva.

The ZERO Race is planned and carried out according to sustainable development principles. Any unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions the ZERO Race may create, including car shipping and flights by participants will be compensated by investments into renewable energy projects through myclimate.

The entire ZERO Race will be documented with stories, photos and videos on a daily blog on www.zero-race.com, as well through Facebook.

The success of ZERO Race depends on the number of people reached who will be inspired enough to take action towards a more sustainable way of life. The ZERO Race is about showing realistic ways towards a cleaner and greener future for the planet and its people.

Just a few of the participating companies and teams include;

ABN Newswire
http://www.abnnewswire.net

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)
http://www.google.com

Galaxy Resources Limited (ASX:GXY) (PINK:GALXF)
http://www.galaxyresources.com.au

Oerlikon Corporation AG (VTX:OERL)
http://www.oerlikon.com

ZERO RACE - Teams
-----------------------------
Zerotracer Team
Winterthur - Switzerland
Zerotracer
http://www.zerotracer.com

Team Trev
Adelaide - Australia
TREV
http://www.teamtrev.com

Power Plaza Team
Seoul - South Korea
Power plaza EV
http://www.powerplaza.com

Zero Race Support Team
Las Vegas - USA
Luxury Electric
http://www.luxuryelectric.com

Zytel Team
Zaragoza - Spain
Qindao - China
Zytel Gorila EV
http://www.zytel.es
--------------------------------

Louis Palmer
Tour Director
Email: louis.palmer@zero-race.com
Mobile: +41-79-343-88-01

Julianna Priskin
Tour Coordinator,
Communications and Corporate Social
Responsibility
Email: julianna.priskin@zero-race.com
Mobile: +41-78-915-27-02

Samsung SDI (SEO:006400) Expects Q2 Demand to Grow

newsroom@abnnewswire.net — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:00:00 GMT

South Korea's Samsung SDI Co Ltd (SEO:006400) on Tuesday reported a 72 per cent hike in first quarter operating profit to 64.6 billion won, compared with a 37.5 billion profit a year earlier. This is largely due to its solid performance across all businesses, including rechargeable battery and plasma-display-panel segments.

But the company's first quarter net profit fell 12.1 per cent from a year ago on the local currency's strength. The bottom line stood at 46.7 billion won in the January-March period, compared with 53.1 billion won in the corresponding period last year.

Samsung SDI, the world's second-largest maker of rechargeable batteries by revenue, expects its profitability to improve in the second quarter, helped by rising consumer demand for smaller-size personal computers such as Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad, smart phones and three-dimensional televisions. The company said it expects global demand for lithium-ion batteries show double-digit percentage growth in the second quarter, and PDP display demand to grow 6 percent in the April-June period from three months before.

Michelle Liang
Asia Business News Asia Bureau
Tel: +61-2-9247-4344
Email: michelle.liang@abnnewswire.net

Hynix (SEO:000660) Posts Record Q1 Earnings on Strong DRAM Prices

newsroom@abnnewswire.net — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 10:00:00 GMT

South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor Inc. (SEO:000660), the world's No. 2 memory chipmaker, posted the highest first quarter earnings in its history with a 2.82 trillion won registered sales. The company posted a 799.1 billion won operating profit on a consolidated basis, compared to an operating loss of 514.6 billion won a year earlier, thanks to strong chip prices.

Hynix also said the average selling price of its DRAM chips rose 3 per cent in the first quarter after rising 26 per cent in the fourth quarter. Its prices of NAND flash memory chips, which are used in music players and digital cameras, fell 8 per cent, compared with a 5 per cent drop in the fourth quarter.

It is widely expected that DRAM makers will continue to see good profits in the coming quarters as chip prices might remain solid due to strong PC demand and global supply is likely to be tight this year. Japan's Elpida Memory Inc.(TYO:6665) Wednesday forecasted that it could be back to its first net profit in three years, helped by the rise in memory chips prices. Elpida posted a 178.9 million yen net loss for the previous fiscal year.

But Hynix indicated that the company is cautiously optimistic on outlook for the rest of 2010, given economic uncertainties in global market.

Michelle Liang
Asia Business News Asia Bureau
Tel: +61-2-9247-4344
Email: michelle.liang@abnnewswire.net

Asian Markets Overview of March 29, 2010: Geely Buys Volvo for US$1.8B

newsroom@abnnewswire.net — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:30:17 GMT

Friday Wall Street ended flat, giving up its early gains after the news about the sinking of a South Korean naval ship raised fears of tension between North and South Korea. Today Asian markets could be helped by the euro-zone bailout for Greece and the news that South Korea has ruled out North Korea involvement in the navy vessel sinking. Friday Asian markets rallied with Japan's Nikkei hit its 18 months closing high. The Nikkei climbed 1.6 per cent due to relief over sovereign-debt problems in Greece. Both Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index and China's Shanghai Composite added 1.3 per cent.

Company News

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, parent of Geely Automobile (HKG:0175), signed a deal with Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) on Sunday on the takeover of Sweden's Volvo Cars. for US$1.8 billion. The price includes a US$200 million note with the remainder to be paid out in cash, is far less than the US$6.45 billion Ford paid for the Swedish automaker in 1999. The sale is expected to be completed in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.

China Construction Bank (SHA:601939) (HKG:0939), the country's second largest lender by market capitalisation, said its net profit surged 147 per cent to 20.68 billion yuan for the December quarter, compared to a 8.4 billion yuan a year earlier. The significant increase is largely due to a lending binge and improving interest margins. Net profit for 2009 rose 15 per cent to 106.76 billion yuan, up from 92.60 billion yuan in previous year.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) (TPE:2330), the world's largest contract chip maker, has applied for government permission to take up a stake in its mainland China rival, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) (HKG:0981). Last November SMIC, China's largest chip maker, agreed to pay US$200 million in cash, and to issue TSMC with new shares and a warrant to settle a long-running legal dispute related to TSMC's trade secrets.

Panasonic Corp. (TYO:6752) is expected start mass-producing liquid crystal display panels in early April at its newly built plant in Japan three months ahead of schedule, amid rapidly growing demand for flat-screen TVs. The major electronics company, which already began trial production at the plant in western Japan, aims to raise the manufacturing capacity there in July to an annualized 4.8 million panels for 32-inch TVs.

Michelle Liang
Asia Business News Asia Bureau
Tel: +61-2-9247-4344
Email: michelle.liang@abnnewswire.net