First Name | Leo |
---|---|
Last Name | Galcher |
Email Address | leo4marg@cox.net |
Affiliation | EVAOSC, inc. |
Subject | ZEV Regulation |
Comment | This is all ARB needs to know in order to reinstate the mandate ---NOW! 18 YEARS OF VALUABLE EV MILES HAVE BEEN DENIED TO CA. BECAUSE ARB CAVED IN TO GM. THE PROMISE OF FUEL CELLS. THE MYTH OF FUEL CELLS BY 2010 REVEALED! IT IS THE BATTERY, STUPID! March 5, 2008 GM, Toyota Doubtful on Fuel Cells' Mass Use GENEVA -- Top executives from General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. Tuesday expressed doubts about the viability of hydrogen fuel cells for mass-market production in the near term and suggested their companies are now betting that electric cars will prove to be a better way to reduce fuel consumption and cut tailpipe emissions on a large scale. Speaking at the Geneva auto show, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told reporters that recent advances in lithium-ion batteries indicate that future electric cars might be able to travel 300 miles, or nearly 500 kilometers, before they need to recharge, making them much more practical as a mass-market product. "If we get lithium-ion to 300 miles, then you need to ask yourself, Why do you need fuel cells?" Mr. Lutz told reporters. He added that fuel-cell vehicles are still far too expensive to be considered for the mass market. "We are nowhere [near] where we need to be on the costs curve," he said. At a separate event at the show, Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe echoed the concern about the high costs of fuel cells and noted the lack of an infrastructure to produce and distribute hydrogen fuel to a wide swath of consumers. These factors leave him with the impression that "it will be difficult to see the spread of fuel cells in 10 years' time," Mr. Watanabe said. The comments indicate a shift in the auto industry's tone regarding fuel cells, especially at GM, which has spent the past two years highlighting its fuel-cell technologies as one of many initiatives it is pursuing to reduce petroleum consumption. |
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Date and Time Comment Was Submitted | 2008-03-06 09:55:44 |
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