There is much more than a conference happening. Read this.
Trade show marks electric vehicle boom
United Press International - December 10, 1997 10:48
ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 10 (UPI) - What began in 1969 as a quirky
gathering of transportation futurists is now a focal point for the
booming electric vehicle industry.
Some 200 vendors and 2,000 delegates are expected to attend the
largest-ever International Electric Vehicle Symposium, called EVS-14,
this week in Orlando.
Although the industry is too new for financial tracking, experts
agree global investment in EV research and development has topped $1
billion in recent years.
General Motors Corp. alone, which began selling the EV1 car just one
year ago, has invested about $350 million. A consortium of automakers
has pumped more than $250 million into battery research.
At the symposium, Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. are among
several major automakers displaying new products, including cars powered
by fuel cells or lightweight, lithium-ion batteries.
Electric utilities are participating as buyers and sellers. Utilities
are among the biggest buyers of electric vehicle fleets, and several
have created joint ventures to sell residential and business plug-ins
for personal EVs.
Symposium spokeswoman Maureen Sullivan Wolski says the show has come
a long way since its 1969 debut in Phoenix. She says, ''That was a small
group of people. Now it's in the mainstream'' because ''electric
vehicles are a commercial reality.''
For the first time the public will be able to test drive EVs at the
symposium. More than 30 models are available.
The event, sponsored by the San Francisco-based Electric Vehicle
Association of the Americas, begins with an EV parade Thursday at Disney
World's Epcot Center.
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Copyright 1997 by United Press International.
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