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| Zero-M Company Profile |
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| Zero-m emerged from work conducted by Quadrise Limited, a company then owned by the Directors, from 1998 until its inception in 2001. |
| Zero-m was established as a company to manufacture, distribute and use methanol-based fuels in transport. The company has aimed both to create a market for methanol in transport, through developing engines, and to develop the provision of fuel. |
| Following extensive study and preliminary testing of the various elements of the proposed strategy, we were awarded a fuel duty exemption for methanol through The Green Fuel Challenge from HM Customs & Excise. Under the terms of the Green Fuel Challenge, Zero-m is required to convert and test several different engine types. Initially the Government's focus was on tailpipe emissions, but this has now widened to encompass greenhouse gas emissions and renewable fuels. We believe methanol is the ideal fuel to meet the need for a clean non-oil fuel that can be made renewably. It is part of our vision to demonstrate this. |
| There has been a lot of development and media interest in the area of clean fuels, alternative fuels and engines over the last few years. Fuels including LPG (liquid petroleum gas), CNG (compressed natural gas), LNG (liquefied natural gas), bioethanol, biodiesel, biobutanol, biogas and hydrogen have received serious consideration as alternatives or additions to petrol and diesel. Engine and vehicle developments have seen improvements in conventional internal combustion engines (that can also be utilised with alternative fuels), hybrid vehicles (mainly electric-petrol), and fuel-cell drive systems. It remains our strong belief that methanol has a major part to play as it can fuel all of these vehicle options. This view is shared by George A. Olah, a Nobel Chemistry Prize-winner, who published “Beyond Oil and gas: The Methanol Economy” in March 2006. |
| Early development work resulted in the conversion of two vehicles. A petrol-engined Ford Galaxy was converted to dual fuel use and successfully road tested for over 20,000 miles. This was followed by a dual fuel (petrol/methanol) conversion of a London Black Cab. In addition a 9 litre Scania diesel engine was converted to sole-fuel methanol and successfully bench tested. |
| In 2004, The Zero-m methanol manufacturing pilot plant was completed (see GIZMO Gas In Zero-m Methanol Out) and worked well, meeting its design criterion of producing 20 litres per hour of methanol suitable for use in our converted engines. |
| During 2006 we commenced work on a Scania 12 litre diesel engine which will be completed and road tested in 2008. |
| The vision, knowledge and expertise behind Zero-m stems from a total of over 150 man-years of experience within the energy and other businesses, accumulated by the team members prior to joining Zero-m in 2001. |
 Peter Dodd, Managing Director and Joint Founder, spent 25 years in BP in a variety of commercial roles. After a spell managing Distribution Planning for BP Chemicals' UK and European businesses, he managed BP's European LPG long term contract trading, moving in 1981 to run BP's New Energies Strategy and R&D programs within BP Ventures. After the unit was incorporated with BP's Corporate Planning Department he set up BP Oil International's New Product Development Unit with Ian Hole (See below). This led to the formation of BP Bitor Ltd, an International Joint Venture with Petroleos de Venezuela to market a new power station fuel. He left BP in 1991 and has worked since on a wide variety of energy development projects before deciding, with Dr Alan Stockwell, and latterly with Dr Ian Duckels, to commercialise Methanol Electrosynthesis Technology. |
 Dr Ian Duckels, Finance Director and Joint Founder, has degrees in Chemistry, Chemicals Physics and Computer Science. He worked for Shell in South Africa until 1986 involved in commercial, refining technology and refinery plant management, and in managing transport fuels storage, handling and distribution throughout the region. He moved to London in the mid 80's meeting up with Peter Dodd in BP's Corporate Planning Department where Ian, also a qualified accountant, was responsible for the financial implications of the BP Corporate Strategy. He also has extensive experience of Refinery management and Joint Ventures. His last post in BP was as Chairman of the BP Texaco Joint Venture Refinery in Rotterdam, at the time the largest refinery in Europe. Since leaving BP in 1993 he has run his own fish farming business in Hampshire, and also presents regular industry renowned courses on International Oil Refining and Trading for the Petroleum Economist in his "spare" time. |
 Matt Reynolds, Engineering Director, began his motor industry career at Jaguar, Rover, Triumph in west London where he completed a 4 year engineering apprenticeship. He went on work in a specialist rally car preparation business for a number of years and then joined Wincanton Contracts, a major vehicle leasing company where he became Workshop Manager. He subsequently joined H.R.Owen and during his 8 year stay became General Service Manager responsible for Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Jaguar and Land Rover workshop operations. Since leaving H.R.Owen he has been involved in setting up workshop and bodyshop facilities for a number of major companies and currently has his own business offering a broad range of motor trade services. |
 Dr Alan Stockwell, Technical Advisor and Joint Founder, spent over 15 years in BP working primarily in research and development management. He worked in this capacity on many BP North Sea development projects, for BP Canada in Alberta and for ADMA-OPCO in Abu Dhabi. He established an international collaborative research agreement with Petroleos de Venezuela and was seconded to Venezuela to work on the successful project which ultimately led to the development of a new commercial power station fuel. During this time he linked up with Peter Dodd and left BP to join him in 1993. Since then he has worked on a number of energy development projects with several blue-chip companies and has managed their technical teams and resources to ensure the success of the project development. |
 Ian Prutton, Marketing Advisor, has more than 25 years experience in FMCG marketing and New Product Development, with Cadbury Schweppes and Allied Domecq. His last role in Allied was as International Marketing Director of Lyons Tetley, which culminated in his being a member of the MBO team which purchased Lyons Tetley to become The Tetley Group. His position in the new company was Director of Business Development. Major achievements include the creation of the Tetley Tea Folk, and the creation, development and launch of Round Tea Bags and Drawstring Tea Bags. Ian's lengthy and successful new product development responsibilities have given him considerable experience in the management of intellectual property. Ian left Tetley in 1999 to form his own consultancy and work with Peter Dodd. |
 Ian Hole, Supply Advisor, started working with Zero-m in 2000 after 25 years experience in the energy industry working for BP, Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) and Enron. With BP he held a range of positions in corporate planning, fuels trading and new product development (with Peter Dodd) working on new gasoline products and establishing BP Bitor, a BP PDVSA joint venture marketing a new power station fuel. After transferring to PDVSA he subsequently took responsibility for their worldwide coal marketing business. Whilst with Enron he was responsible for their first London office as Managing Director of their European LPG trading activity. |
 Tim Watts, Legal Advisor, is a consultant to Reed Smith Richards Butler in London. He qualified as a solicitor in 1978 when he joined Richards Butler, becoming a partner in 1986, and becoming a consultant in 2003. In 2007 Tim handled the legal side of the merger of Richards Butler with Reed Smith of the U.S. The combined firm is in the top 15 largest law firms in the world. Tim specialises in company law, corporate finance, all aspects of the law and regulation of public and private companies and most types of transactions. He has extensive experience in acting for public and private companies, both in the UK and overseas, in all types of commercial matters and transactions. |
| John Lush, International Trading Advisor, spent the 70's with BP, latterly involved with major Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) projects in the Middle East, and Oil Trading in Japan. He left BP in 1982 and has worked for several world famous oil trading houses since, including Philips Brothers, (Phibro), Enron and Masefield. He has specialised in developing and pulling together novel international oil deals, and has been at the forefront of the use of hedging and other financial instruments to secure competitive contract product prices. |
| Len Cozzolino, General Manager, has 27 years experience in the oil, power and banking industries. He started as a mechanical engineer with Halliburton designing offshore installations and spent 17 years working with international oil and gas companies including, Amerada Hess, Eni/Agip and Powergen Oil & Gas. Len worked for seven years as a senior banker with Dresdner Kleinwort Benson in the City of London where he advised Shell, Repsol YPF, ExxonMobil, Yukos, and Petronas among many others. |
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