EMERYVILLE, Calif., April 13, 2009 -- Amyris today announced the completion of its first successful demonstration drive using Amyris renewable diesel. The demonstration took place April 5 in Chicago in coordination with the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid Team.

The renewable diesel fuel powered a 30-passenger hybrid diesel bus that provided local transportation to International Olympic Committee members who were visiting Chicago to assess the city’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games. Amyris renewable diesel was showcased as one of the many innovative technologies that could help decrease Chicago's carbon footprint during the 2016 games.

Recently registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, Amyris renewable diesel is characterized as a No Compromise™ fuel because its performance properties equal or exceed those of petroleum-sourced fuels and currently available biofuels. A key attribute of the fuel is that it’s a hydrocarbon – the same components found in today’s petroleum fuels. This enables the fuel to be used in any kind of diesel engine and withstand extremely low temperatures without any need to alter engines. It can also be easily distributed within the existing fuels infrastructure.

Amyris renewable diesel contains zero sulfur and virtually no harmful aromatics, and when blended with petroleum diesel it results in significantly less particulate matter, NOx, hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions than petroleum-based fuels.

“This was an exciting day for our company, our industry and for a nation looking for sustainable solutions to our energy needs,” said John Melo, chief executive officer of Amyris. “This demonstration brought us significantly closer to realizing the perfect renewable fuel which could lessen our dependence on foreign oil.”

Amyris renewable diesel fuel is made using an innovative new science called synthetic biology that enables the production of economical and sustainable products through fermentation of plant-based sugars. By altering the metabolic pathways of microorganisms, such as yeast, scientists can create “living factories” which can then ferment plant-based sugar into hydrocarbons – the same molecules found in traditional petroleum fuels.

The demonstration is the first in a series of demonstrations Amyris intends to conduct with different vehicles throughout the year. Amyris renewable diesel fuel has undergone a number of third-party engine and materials compatibility tests, validating its performance and environmental attributes.

About Amyris

Amyris is applying a proprietary synthetic biology platform to create No Compromise™ products – low cost renewable fuels and chemicals that are intended to be environmentally friendly, compatible with the existing infrastructure, and have performance attributes comparable to petroleum-based fuels. Amyris has also developed a technology to produce a second supply of an anti-malarial drug. Founded in 2003, Amyris has raised over $120 million in equity funding to date, including investments from Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, TPG Biotech, and DAG Ventures. Amyris has facilities in Emeryville, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Campinas, Brazil.