SPRINGFIELD, MO - Electric Car Co. Inc. -- which specializes in electric vehicle conversions and manufacturing for the livery, fleet and private specialty markets -- said it is negotiating a development and marketing agreement with NEAH Power Systems Inc.

The agreement will provide Electric Car Co. (ECC) with exclusive rights to sell and distribute NEAH's proprietary fuel cells and ancillary products designed for hybrid on-road four-wheel vehicles. ECC will also have the exclusive marketing rights to sell NEAH Power's fuel cells to other manufacturers of hybrid zero-emission, four-wheel vehicles.

The agreement is expected to have a term of five years and be based on negotiated performance volumes starting at the end of one year. Though the agreement isn't yet finalized, the parties expect to complete the partnership agreement by Nov. 1.

ECC plans to engineer NEAH's fuel cells into ECC's electric vehicles. By combining the battery and fuel-cell technologies, the typical travel range of the vehicle will increase from 50 miles to as much as 250 miles on a single charge at an affordable price for consumers, ECC said.

NEAH's Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) technology uses porous silicon architecture and semiconductor manufacturing technology.

"We are looking forward to a zero-emissions solution to extend the range of pure electric vehicles," said Gary Spaniak, CEO of ECC. "This agreement will give us the ability to be first to market with the NEAH fuel cell recharging system."