What’s out and what’s upcoming for alternative-powered vehicles

BY CHAD CLARK

There has been a lot of talk recently regarding the state of transportation in this country. The automotive industry would love us to think they are hard at work developing new modes of alternative-powered vehicles to provide the people with affordable, clean, sustainable transportation. This is true to the extent that consumers (and energy crises) pressure them to do so, but there are more options out there than ever and even more on the horizon.

The hybrids we have on the road today (the first, the Woods Dual Power, was invented in 1917!) have certainly come a long way mostly due to computerized engine management systems. However, hybrids are typically regarded as merely transitional until alternative power systems are refined and an infrastructure is established to support them. Internal combustion engine hybrid cars that can be recharged via an ordinary electric outlet are referred to as PHEVs and achieve much higher gas mileage and lower emissions than other hybrids. A 2006 article in Scientific American argues that PHEVs will soon become the standard in the automobile industry.

One of the most talked about alternative power sources is hydrogen. Of course the hydrogen-powered engine has also been around for a while. In 1966 GM introduced the Electrovan, which was powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. Using hydrogen as fuel requires a great deal of energy, but there are absolutely no harmful emissions, only water vapor. Hydrogen powered cars are also not cheap and have a very short travel range. They do not operate well in freezing conditions, hydrogen is twice or three times more expensive than gasoline, and requires an entirely new fueling infrastructure.

Electric vehicles have an enormous advantage over hydrogen. EVs have the potential of using locally available sustainable energy while at the same time reducing vehicle energy requirements by up to 75%. (For information on EVs visit www.pluginamerica.org.)

Although the oil crises in the 1970s sparked some interest in alternative power, the technology to support it wasn't available. Today the premise that change must occur has prompted in experimentation with a large number of both rediscovered and developing technologies, which today offer an interesting contrast to those that existed during the last century.

For example, the compressed air car uses a motor powered by compressed air. The zero emissions Tata/MDI OneCAT (www.tata.com) is slated to arrive this year and has a range comparable to electric- and hydrogen-powered cars. This idea has been around since the 1930s but is now being developed for passenger vehicle use today. Compressed air engines reduce manufacturing cost by 20% and refueling can be done at home with a simple air compressor. The cars range in cost from $5,000 to $7,000 and the cost of refueling for the entire tank: an estimated $3.

A new high-performance all-electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster (www.teslamotors.com) has attracted much attention. The fully electric roadster can do 0-60 mph in about four seconds, and if you were to calculate the fuel efficiency of this vehicle it would be the equivalent of 135mpg.

Volkswagen Space Up! Blue (www.volkswagen.com) is the first implementation of a high temperature fuel cell. Its power comes from lithium ion batteries for a range of up to 65 miles per charge. The batteries can be recharged either via a plug or the fuel cell stack, and more energy can be added via the rooftop solar panel. Volkswagen's fuel cell is claimed to be less expensive to produce while offering greater efficiency.

The Honda FCX Clarity (www.honda.com) was designed to be a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, and emits only water vapor and heat into the air. It has a range of approximately 280 miles and is available to select customers in Los Angeles, based on their proximity to hydrogen fueling stations.

TH!NK city (www.think.no) offers a zero-emissions auto with an energy efficiency three times that of a traditional combustion engine car. A choice of sodium or lithium batteries allows you to accommodate your car to your driving style, traveling more than 100 miles in one charge, with a top speed of about 60 mph.

The Concept Chevy Volt (www.chevrolet.com) slated for 2010, will be different than any previous electric vehicle because it will use a lithium-ion battery with a variety of range-extending onboard power sources such as E85 ethanol to recharge the battery while driving. The Volt is also designed to use a common 110-volt household outlet, and for someone who drives less than 40 miles a day, the Volt will use zero gasoline and produce zero emissions.

Saab 9-4X BioPower Hybrid (www.SaabUSA.com) is optimized for running on 85% bioethanol while maintaining 200 horsepower. The CO2 emissions are only 105 grams per 100 km.

The BMW Hydrogen 7 (www.bmwusa.com) is classified as the world's first luxury performance sedan with hydrogen drive. Because the infrastructure for refueling a hydrogen internal combustion engine is not yet complete, the V-12 engine also runs on gasoline at the push of a button. The BMW Hydrogen 7 is still being developed but should be available soon.

The Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueTec Hybrid (www.mbusa.com) is claimed to be the cleanest diesel in the world. Slated for 2010, the S400 is a diesel/electric hybrid that does 0-60 in 7.2 seconds with an estimated 40.5 mpg.

OKA AUTO USA (www.okaauto.com) is a division of MIROX Corporation. Acting as MIROX’s U.S. importer and manufacturer, OKA produces the OKA mini car. OK, they are really ugly but efficient.

Smart (www.smartusa.com) is developing an electric version of its little ForTwo using a sodium-nickel-chloride battery; the 41-horse electric motor has plenty of power to move the vehicle around. The fully electric ForTwo will be for sale to the public beginning in 2010.

Electric or Biodiesel?

In the 2006 documentary film, Who Killed the Electric Car?, the history, development, and commercialization of the EV is discussed in regard to the General Motors EV1 made available after the ZEV (Zero Emissions Vehicle) mandate in 1990. The mandate was reversed after suits from automobile manufacturers, the oil industry, and the Bush administration (Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, and Andrew Card, are all former executives and board members of oil and auto companies).

The EV1 was the first contemporary production electric vehicle. Kris Trexler took a trip from Los Angeles to Troy, Mich. in an EV1. Though he had to plan his "re-fueling" stops weeks in advance, Trexler was able to demonstrate the potential of electric power and introduce a large number of people to this rediscovered transportation technology.

Transition is the key in the equation. It is obviously not feasible for every car owner to switch to sustainable transportation overnight. One recent trendy alternative to help transition some vehicles on the road and alleviate our dependence on foreign oil is biodiesel—a mixture of cooking oil and diesel fuel. Biodiesel can be used in most ordinary diesel engines with some basic modifications. However, biodiesel still pollutes and also takes a chunk out of our food supply. Today's car engines can actually be adapted to run on a variety of alternative fuels such as natural gas, propane or liquid petroleum gas, and ethanol. Of course they all have their eccentricities, but regardless you will be seeing new vehicles with a FFV (Flexible Fuel Vehicle) coming on to the market that can easily be adapted to one of these alternative fuels.

Starting Jan. 1, 2009, the California Air Resources Board will expand its Smog Index Label for new cars to include data on greenhouse gas emissions. The new regulation will create a simple ranking system indicating the most environmentally friendly cars. The label will provide two scores on a scale of 1-10: a smog score and a global warming score. The average new car will score five on both scales. The higher the score the less impact the car has on the environment.
—C.C.

Green, Mean, and Clean

The cleanest cars, as assessed by the state of California, are:

1. 2008 Tesla Roadster (Battery Electric)

2. 2008 GEM e2, e4, e6, eL, eL XD, eS

3. 2008 Toyota Prius (Hybrid)

4. 2008 Honda Civic GX (CNG)

5. 2008 Honda Civic (Hybrid)

6. 2008 Nissan Altima (Hybrid)

7. 2008 Ford Escape (Hybrid)

8. 2008 Mazda Tribute (Hybrid)

9. 2008 Mercury Mariner (Hybrid)