[Peakoil] Electric, Hydrogen, Hybrid Cars Star at Detroit Auto Show

[Antony Barry]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Jgoldie" <jgoldie at snowy.net.au>
> Date: 10 January 2007 12:50:04 PM
> To: tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au
> Subject: can you put on ACT Peak Oil if you think appropriate?
> Reply-To: "Jgoldie" <jgoldie at snowy.net.au>
>
> Electric, Hydrogen, Hybrid Cars Star at Detroit Auto Show
>
> DETROIT, Michigan, January 8, 2007 (ENS) - At the 2007 North  
> American International Auto Show Sunday, General Motors' head Rick  
> Wagoner unveiled the Chevrolet Volt concept sedan and announced  
> that production work has begun on a new generation of electric  
> vehicles that could eliminate gas stations for Americans who live  
> close to their workplaces.
>
> Built on a platform that GM calls the E-flex System, the Volt is a  
> battery powered electric car that has a range of 40 city miles  
> after a six-hour charge from a household electrical outlet. GM says  
> it would be a viable, gas-free daily driver for Americans whose one- 
> way work commute is 20 miles or less. That's 78 percent of all  
> American workers, according to GM Vice Chairman, Product  
> Development Bob Lutz.
>
>
>
> GM's new Chevrolet Volt concept sedan (Photo courtesy GM)The car  
> also has a flex-fuel gasoline engine that extends the range to up  
> to 640 miles. The gas engine does not drive the wheels – instead,  
> it creates electricity that powers the wheels.
> The Volt's sharp-angle body style proves that "environmentally  
> conscious cars can actually look good, as well," Lutz said.
>
> BMW is showing the Hydrogen 7, a flex-fuel vehicle that runs on  
> gasoline and hydrogen fuel.
>
> Hydrogen as a motor fuel is the answer to many environmental  
> problems since there are no harmful emissions, no depleting of  
> resources, no danger to the atmosphere, and it can be produced from  
> a variety of renewable resources.
>
> BMW's hydrogen vehicles run on liquid hydrogen that is produced  
> from water using solar power. The hydrogen is dispensed from  
> automated filling stations, and it powers modified BMW production  
> vehicles.
>
> Toyota will unveil a hybrid sports car, its FT-HS concept, at the  
> North American International Auto Show, NAIAS 2007.
>
> The FT-HS concept was a joint project of Calty, Toyota's research  
> and design center located in Newport Beach, California, and  
> Toyota's California-based Advanced Product Strategy Group. The  
> design team was assigned the task of creating a mid-priced sports  
> car that integrates ecology and emotion in a concept that addresses  
> the question "What is a suitable sports car for the 21st Century?"
>
>
>
> Toyota's concept hybrid sports car, the FT-HS. (Photo courtesy  
> Toyota) The FT-HS pairs a V6, 3.5L gasoline engine with an electric  
> motor and lithium-ion battery pack. The concept vehicle has a sleek  
> sports car profile, and utilizes lightweight aerodynamic materials  
> such as carbon-fiber wheels. The front-engine, rear-drive sports  
> car has a projected zero-to-60 miles per hour acceleration of about  
> four seconds and a price tag in the mid-$30,000 range.
> Hot sports car or cool commuter vehicle, more than half of all  
> Americans say due to soaring gas prices they would consider buying  
> or leasing a fuel efficient hybrid car, according to a poll taken  
> last spring.
>
> The CNN/USA Today/Gallup telephone poll of 1,001 adults was done in  
> March and released in April 2006.
>
> Environmentally friendly cars at the auto show are generating  
> attention from government figures, including U.S. Environmental  
> Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson, who will be  
> attending the show as he did last year.
>
> Transportation Secretary Mary Peters will make an appearance and  
> announce her proposal to reform the Department of Transportation's  
> National New Car Assessment Program.
>
> Officials from the Department of Transportation, the National  
> Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the EPA are meeting with  
> manufacturers GM, Ford, Chrysler and Toyota while at the show.
>
> Also attending in 2007 are the Office of Aerospace, the Washington  
> Foreign Press, Department of State's Bureau of Public Affairs and  
> the Michigan Renewable Fuels Commission.
>
> In November, Michigan launched the Renewable Fuels Commission, a  
> public-private team to help develop the state's alternative fuel  
> industry.
>
> "The work of the Renewable Fuels Commission is a critical part of  
> our effort to make Michigan the nation's leader in developing and  
> producing alternative energy," said Michigan Governor Jennifer  
> Granholm. "As more E-85 and flex fuel vehicles are produced, it is  
> essential that we make biodiesel and ethanol products more widely  
> available and encourage their use."
>
> Toyota is planning to release a flex-fuel full size pickup next  
> year that can run on E-85 ethanol, Jay Lentz, executive vice  
> president, Toyota Motor Sales, said Sunday.
>
> The 2009 model truck will be a variation on the new Toyota Tundra  
> CrewMax, a full size pickup that debuted Sunday at the auto show.
>
> In 2007, the Detroit Auto Dealers Association will celebrate the  
> centennial of its successful association with the North American  
> International Auto Show. Since its inception in 1907, the show has  
> grown from a regional event featuring 17 exhibitors to an  
> internationally sanctioned show with over 90 exhibitors, which  
> brought more than $500 million into the metro Detroit region last  
> year.
>
> Held at Detroit's COBO Conference/Exhibition Center, press preview  
> days at the North American International Auto Show run through  
> Tuesday. Industry preview days will be held on Wednesday and  
> Thursday. The Charity Preview will be held Friday evening. Public  
> days are Saturday, January 13 through Sunday, January 21.
>
>
>
> ________________________________________________
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phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au
mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au
http://tony-barry.emu.id.au




phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au
mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au
http://tony-barry.emu.id.au