Press Releases and Announcements

STI Electric Drive Powers Historic Boats in Georgia Canal

STI's first commercial motorboat propulsion system will be installed this summer in a tour boat designed for an Augusta, Georgia, canal. WBG Marine, of Tybee Island, GA, is building two 48 passenger canal boats for the Augusta Canal authority. The first of the 65 ft vessels, which will displace 23,000 pounds fully loaded, will be powered by twin ST 37 6 hp motors.

First hull takes shape at WBG Marine with hollow box keel for batteries The Augusta canal boats are larger replicas of 19th Century Petersburg boats, which once carried most of the canal's traffic. The modern versions are designed for maximum safety and simplicity and minimum draft for the shallow waterway. Our motors will be mounted vertically on Sonic outdrives to eliminate through-hull penetration and make it easy to swing the props out of the way to avoid obstructions. The flat-bottomed tour boats are constructed of fiberglass with Nidacore polyethylene honeycomb core. A central box keel hanging below the bottom holds the batteries that power the ST electric motors. The boats are expected to be in service for 12 hours each day - six hours motoring and another six tied at the dock awaiting and loading passengers. They won't carry a generator, so the plan is to charge them overnight to be ready for service the next day. WBG Marine owner Rusty Fleetwood specializes in replicas and reproductions of historic vessels, although he also builds modern boats. In 1993 he built a wood replica of the Petersburg boat, which is named for the 19th-century trading community of Petersburg, Georga. The boat was launched in Augusta and traveled to port of Savannah on its maiden voyage. The Augusta Canal Authority asked him if he could build a working passenger vessel in a similar style. He roughed out some ideas initially, and several years later the Canal Authority requested a formal proposal. Because no internal combustion engines are allowed on the canal, the boats must be electrically propelled. Mr. Fleetwood conducted an extensive search for the right electric configuration and chose our twin ST37 6hp system.

Original Civil War-era Petersburg boat Augusta's canal was built in 1845, when the city took advantage of its location on the Savannah River fall line to create an industrial complex unequalled in the Confederate South. The 8.5 mile long canal was lined by gunpowder factories during the Civil War and textile mills, ironworks and numerous other industries soon after. But with the expansion of automobile transportation in the 20th century, the canal fell into disuse. Finally in the 1990's the city refurbished it as a tourist destination and shopping district. Now to meet the growing demand for tours along the historic canal, the city has commissioned the large tourist boats, patterned after the 19th century Petersburg boats that once carried much of the waterway's commercial traffic. The electric canal boats are part of a growing trend in cities around the country for clean, non-polluting tourist excursion vessels. It's an emerging market that's ideal for Solomon Technologies electric propulsion. Despite our current focus on sailboat auxiliaries, motorboats have always been part of Solomon Technologies' commercialization strategy. Although the Augusta Canal boats will be all-electric, we also see great market potential in hybrid-electric systems with a generator backup for greater range. Combined with overhead solar panels and a generator burning propane or natural gas, a hybrid-electric tourist boat would have the range of a diesel-powered vessel yet still be virtually pollution-free.

Information about Solomon Technologies, Inc.:
Solomon Technologies, Inc. currently provides propulsion systems for new and retrofit marine applications and offers motors for high growth, high volume land based vehicle and machinery applications. Solomon, through its proprietary propulsion systems and patented Electric Wheel™ technology, offers a unique electric motor design with an ability to efficiently regenerate electricity and leads the way in the recreational boating industry's adoption of the fundamental new technology.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements regarding Solomon Technologies, Inc. in this release that are not historical in nature, particularly those that utilize the terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "likely," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," or "plans," or comparable terminology, are forward-looking statements based on current expectations about future events, which management has derived from the information currently available to it. It is possible that the assumptions made by management for purposes of such statements may not materialize. Actual results may differ materially from those projected or implied in any forward-looking statements. Important factors known to management that could cause forward-looking statements to turn out to be incorrect are identified and discussed from time to time in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Solomon Technologies, Inc.
Peter DeVecchis, 727-934-8778

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Crescent Communications
David Long, 203-226-5527
www.crescentir.com

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