Green cars to take floor at Detroit auto show

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800498290_765245_NT_b8c65cfa.HTM

Green cars to take floor at Detroit auto show

Posted: 18 Jan 2008

When the public enters the 2008 North American International Auto Show on Jan. 19, they'll find cars as green as spring. Every major automaker is swearing its allegiance to green technologies this year, and in some odd instances, green meets classic Detroit mean.

Alternative fuel
Take the Hummer HX biofuel concept, on display during this week's press preview of the show, which looks like what would happen if a miniature tank mated with a Jeep. The HX is much smaller than the gas-hungry H3 2008 gleaming on display next to it, and it runs on E85, fuel that's 85 percent ethanol.

General Motors Corp., in fact, was the most verbose automaker on its alternative energy efforts during the press preview. GM launched its environmental bent with an announcement that it's investing in Coskata, a start-up that says it can make biofuel out of agricultural and municipal waste for less than $1 a gallon.

But the green message still suffers from clarity of vision, with GM and other automakers introducing concepts, and in some cases in-production vehicles, that are all over the place in their approaches to alternative energy. So if gasoline isn't the standard in 10 years, what will be: hydrogen, ethanol, electricity, some sort of hybrid, or something like Coskata's waste-based biofuel? Don't ask the automakers; they don't have a clue, either.

...

[ramapo]

1. This is such bullshit

E85 isn't an answer to our problems and neither is a slimmer Hummer.

How about small, fuel-efficient vehicles to provide the basic transportation which is required by the vast majority of the population? How about hybrids, proven technology, for those primarily using the car in an urban environment? A hybrid doesn't make much sense for the primarily-highway driver.

How about GM pushing mass transportation solutions for the more densely populated corridors of the US?

One thing is for sure. Automakers don't have a clue, few Americans do.

[papau]

2. Plug in hybrids at the Detroit auto show include Prius and Ford Escape

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9851249-7.html

January 15, 2008 3:31 PM PST
Toyota and Ford plug in their hybrids


Toyota shows its plug-in Prius on the show floor.

Toyota surprised us with a plug-in hybrid Prius on the floor at the 2008 Detroit auto show. The company has resisted the plug-in hybrid movement previously, citing the fact that you don't need to plug in the Prius as a virtue. But there has been quite a bit of interest in plug-in hybrids from individuals and even power companies. Plug-in proponents claim to get 100 mpg by modifying Priuses and recharging the batteries when the cars aren't being used. Toyota seems to have finally given into the plug-in pressure, starting up its own plug-in program and handing over a couple of prototype plug-in Priuses to the University of California. At the Detroit auto show, Toyota not only had a plug-in Prius on the floor, along with an informational display, but it also had two running around the city as VIP transportation. The plug-in Priuses still use Toyota's hybrid system, but have been modified with an additional nickel-metal-hydride battery pack, increasing electric range and speeds.

Ford also got into the game, showing off a plug-in Escape Hybrid in its display area. Ford is working on the plug-in technology in conjunction with Southern California Edison. The plug-in Ford Escape Hybrid uses lithium-ion batteries, giving it fuel economy of 120 mpg, according to Ford.