Sep. 1, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

NORTHVILLE, Mich., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Amerigon Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARGN), a leader in developing and marketing products based on advanced thermoelectric (TE) technologies, today announced that its BSST subsidiary will install and test thermoelectric waste heat recovery generators in BMW Group and Ford vehicles in the newest phase of a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded program studying the use of thermoelectric systems to convert waste heat from automobile engine exhaust into electrical power. The program, which is being conducted by a team led by BSST, was created to improve automobile fuel economy and supports the DOE's objectives of reducing dependence on foreign energy imports and lowering greenhouse gas emissions while supporting the increased electrification of vehicle powertrains.

The DOE will contribute approximately $1.1 million in funding and BSST will contribute an additional $370,000 for this fifth phase of the project, which has a targeted completion date of March 31, 2010.

"This phase of the program is a critical step toward reaching our most immediate goal, which is to develop a cost-effective thermoelectric energy recovery system that can be successfully incorporated into vehicle production," said BSST President Lon E. Bell, Ph.D. "Ultimately, we want to create a commercially viable vehicle waste heat recovery and power generation system that will improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines. We believe the advances we have made in our thermoelectric technology are the vital keys to reaching those goals."

The DOE project represents another significant application for Amerigon's thermoelectric technology, said Amerigon President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel R. Coker.

"Our BSST subsidiary continues to advance the science of thermoelectric devices particularly as it applies to heating and cooling and power generation," Coker said. "This is one of several efforts BSST is involved in with government and private industry aimed at pushing the variety of uses for thermoelectric technology beyond our current automotive seating application. We look forward to announcing progress with this program and others in the coming months."

The first phase of the DOE program was launched in 2005 and BSST was chosen to lead the development team that included Visteon Corporation, BMW of North America, UC Santa Cruz, the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology.

The first phase consisted of a comprehensive analysis to determine the technical and commercial viability of the system concept.