Zhongding Power Signs Strategic Agreement With EcoMotors to Fund Construction of a $200 Million opoc® Engine Plant

XUANCHENG, ANHUI, China and ALLEN PARK, Mich., April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Zhongding Power and EcoMotors today announced the closing of a commercial agreement to produce the opoc^® engine, a breakthrough technology that has the potential to be the world's cleanest, most efficient, lightweight, and lowest cost internal combustion engine.  One of the largest automotive component conglomerates in China, Zhongding will finance and construct the first opoc^® plant in the Anhui Province.  The plant represents an investment by Zhongding of over US $200 million and will have a capacity of about 150,000 engines per year – over US $1 billion in revenue potential.  High-volume production is expected to begin in 2014.

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The opoc^® engine technology developed and owned by EcoMotors can deliver the same power level as conventional engines at half the size, a lower cost, and lower emissions.  With the potential for 20-50% better fuel economy compared to a state-of-the-art, conventional turbo-diesel engine, EcoMotors' opoc^® engine has the potential to revolutionize the internal combustion engine.

The inaugural opoc^® plant has received the full support of key Chinese government bodies, including the Xuangcheng government and Anhui provincial authorities; a second Zhongding production site may be announced at a later date.  Zhongding plans to supply opoc^® engines to a broad range of customers, including GenSet engines, off-road and commercial vehicles.  A key provision of the agreement allocates a portion of the plant's output to EcoMotors for sale and distribution to its own direct customers.

Mr. Xia Ding Hu, Chairman of Zhongding Holding (Group) Co., Ltd., and CEO of Zhongding Power said, "Continued progress in development of the opoc^® engine has brought us to the next phase of development.  With the enthusiastic backing from both our provincial and national governmental bodies, we are now ready to complete the design of the engine as we head toward launching a state-of-the-art opoc^® engine manufacturing facility in Anhui Province."

"This partnership represents another great opportunity for U.S.-China collaboration in scaling clean technologies," noted Andrew Chung, EcoMotors Board Member and Partner at Khosla Ventures, who leads their China activities.  "With a full funding commitment from Zhongding, EcoMotors proves that with great technology, cleantech companies can indeed commercialize capital efficiently alongside visionary partners.  We are delighted to work with Zhongding to bring this important technology to the citizens of the world."

"This agreement is a key milestone in bringing our innovative engine technology to market and underscores the potent disruptive force that is opoc^®," said Don Runkle, CEO of EcoMotors who was former Vice Chairman and CTO of Delphi and a 30-year executive at General Motors. "Our game-changing 21^st century internal-combustion opoc^® engine technology offers a unique combination of lower fuel consumption and operating costs at lower production costs.  These characteristics are important to progressive companies and countries as they seek to overcome environmental challenges of the future."

About Zhongding
The Zhongding Holding (Group) Co., Ltd. is a diversified international company established in 1980 with headquarters located within the economic and technical development zone of Ningguo, Anhui Province, China.  Today, the Group comprises 20 modern automotive components entities including Zhongding Power, operating both domestically and internationally.

About EcoMotors
Established in 2008, EcoMotors is changing the landscape of internal combustion power. Based in Allen Park, Mich., EcoMotors is commercializing the unique opoc^® engine for use in cars, light trucks, commercial vehicles, aerospace, marine, agriculture, auxiliary power units, generators, etc. Anywhere conventional gas or diesel power is currently utilized, opoc^® represents a better propulsion solution.

EcoMotors' primary investors are Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates and Braemar Energy Ventures. Khosla Ventures, based in Menlo Park, California, offers venture assistance, strategic advice and capital to entrepreneurs. The firm helps entrepreneurs extend the potential of their ideas in breakthrough scientific work in a broad range of industrial markets.  Vinod Khosla, who founded the firm in 2004, is a founder of Sun Microsystems and was formerly a General Partner at Kleiner Perkins. Bill Gates has been an enthusiastic supporter of EcoMotors and Braemar Energy Ventures, a New York based energy technology venture capital firm that specializes in investing in early to growth stage companies with disruptive technologies, has led the most recent round of investment as EcoMotors extends its scope around the world. 

SOURCE EcoMotors