When they talk about the low damand for the EV1 due to the range, why can't they talk about how they have addressed it with NIMH batteries?
Hybrid Cars May End Typical Engine
By MICHAEL WHITE
.c The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Is the internal combustion engine dead?
Not yet. But scientists and engineers attending the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show on Tuesday believe its days are numbered.
Auto industry representatives are talking seriously about alternative vehicles expected someday to replace today's gasoline-powered models.
''In order to survive as a company, it is absolutely essential that you provide alternative power, power other than the internal combustion engine,'' said Frank Pereira, brand manager for General Motors Advanced Technology Vehicles.
He said he believes the internal combustion engine will be phased out as a matter of necessity in developing countries, regions considered growth markets by the auto industry.
Governments and consumers are looking for vehicles that will pollute less and use less expensive fuel. Likewise, North American and European governments are pushing hard for low-polluting vehicles.
Among the alternatives showed off here was Toyota's RAV-4 electric sport utility vehicle and its gasoline-electric hybrid Prius sedan. The RAV-4 is currently available in the United States. The Prius is on sale in Japan but won't be on the U.S. market until 2000.
Next month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Honda plans to display its new hybrid model that will go on sale in the United States later in 1999.
A General Motors display featured a small van outfitted with a fuel cell power train. GM also plans to use a diesel-electric bus to haul commuters through New York City early next year.
Hybrid engine technology involves combining two fuel systems to power a vehicle, typically electricity and a conventional fossil fuel. The GM bus is expected to slice fuel consumption by 40 percent while cutting down on pollution.
The automaker introduced its EV1 electric car at the Los Angeles show three years ago, but demand has been weak in large part because the car has limited range before its batteries need recharging.
In two years GM has sold only 600 versions of its EV1 electric coupe. Other manufacturers of electric cars have had similarly disappointing results. But Pereira likened the new cars to other consumer technologies such as the cellular telephone and microwave oven. Both, he said, were unreliable and slow to catch on at first.
AP-NY-12-30-98 0120EST |
