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Technology Stocks : Ballard Power -world leader zero-emission PEM fuel cells -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Panita who wrote (3891)	3/17/1999 9:37:00 PM
From: Tom_	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 5827

Nightly Business Report piece. 03/17/99:The New Fuel Cell Baby Benz SUSIE GHARIB: In the "if you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford it" category tonight comes the latest model of Mercedes-Benz. But you can't buy it now anyway. As Dennis Moore explains, it's the first practical hydrogen fueled cell car in America. DENNIS MOORE, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: The proud papas drove their new baby car onto the Washington stage and declared that the race to demonstrate the technical practicality of fuel cell cars is over. JURGEN SCHREMP, CO-CHAIRMAN, DAIMLERCHRYSLER: We now begin the race to make these vehicles affordable for our customers. MOORE: The Necar 4 behaves like a typical Mercedes, Schremp says, safe and fast. It's a converted A-class sold now with a gasoline engine in Europe, but not here. With fuel cells, it can go 90 miles an hour, though the acceleration is a little slower than your typical four- cylinder compact. The range, about 280 miles on a tank of liquid hydrogen, emitting only water vapor. And answering one version of the now-proverbial question... CAROL BROWNER, ADMINISTRATOR, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we have clean burning vehicles? Why can't we have clean cars? MOORE: The fuel cells that power the Necar 4, in fact, use a version of the same chemical process that powered the Apollo capsules, and now the space shuttle. The new Mercedes is practical enough to put in your garage today, except for the price-maybe $100,000. ROBERT EATON, CO-CHAIRMAN, DAIMLERCHRYSLER: Our challenge is to provide more earth friendly vehicles without penalty of cost or convenience. MOORE: Or penalties of regulation for the automaker. This California car will meet that state's zero emission requirements, and it puts DaimlerChrysler in a worldwide race with Ford and GM and Toyota. DAVID GARRITY, AUTO ANALYST, GVA RESEARCH: When the manufacturing cost for this product is brought down substantially enough, here's a way to effectively introduce automobiles on a mass basis into large developed markets, like China or India. MOORE: But it's likely to be four more years before fuel cell cars are more than a tourist attraction, here or there. Dennis Moore, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Washington. ~~~~~~~~~ Oops, no Ballard reference. Never mind. Concept now publicized to the after-dinner investors. Best wishes, Tom