ALS
08-08-2009, 09:18 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Nobody is going invest huge amounts of money until you feel you have reasonably optimum configuration, whether it's batteries or cellulosic fuels (http://www.detnews.com/article/20090808/AUTO01/908080318/1148/Experts-say-electric-cars-are-on-the-way)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/vw_up_ev_small.jpgDavid Shepardson - DETNEWS (http://www.detnews.com) - August, 8 2009
They better start building power plants --Ed.
Traverse City -- Automakers, biofuel companies and battery makers are rushing to bring two new technologies to the nation's auto fleet: plug-in electric hybrids and cellulosic ethanol.
At the Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing Seminars here Friday, automakers and start-up officials said the future is bright for both technologies though they face hurdles to widespread adoption.
"The next five years is the engineering (research and development) and the next five years is the rapid scale-up for both plug-ins and cellulosic ethanol," said David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research.
"Nobody is going invest huge amounts of money until you feel you have reasonably optimum configuration, whether it's batteries or cellulosic fuels."
A 2007 energy law requires the United States to use 36 billion gallons of ethanol and other alternative fuels by 2022, including 16 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol. By next year, the U.S. must use 100 million gallons, which jumps to 1 billion by 2013.
Congress in February set aside $786.5 million to accelerate biofuels research and boost commercialization for biorefineries.
For hybrids, President Barack Obama has called for 1 million plug-in hybrids on the roads by 2016. And while some believe that goal may be unrealistic, his administration this week awarded $2.4 billion in grants to automakers, battery companies and others to ramp up production.
Sandy Stojkovski, director of Total Vehicle Fuel Economy at Ricardo Inc., said there is no doubt that electric vehicles are on the way.
"With CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) standards and government stimulus money, the VHS versus Beta wars that might be around -- is it diesel, is it gas, is it electrification? -- they're over," she said. "Electrification of the vehicle is coming." ... http://www.detnews.com/article/20090808/AUTO01/908080318/1148/Experts-say-electric-cars-are-on-the-way
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/vw_up_ev_small.jpgDavid Shepardson - DETNEWS (http://www.detnews.com) - August, 8 2009
They better start building power plants --Ed.
Traverse City -- Automakers, biofuel companies and battery makers are rushing to bring two new technologies to the nation's auto fleet: plug-in electric hybrids and cellulosic ethanol.
At the Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing Seminars here Friday, automakers and start-up officials said the future is bright for both technologies though they face hurdles to widespread adoption.
"The next five years is the engineering (research and development) and the next five years is the rapid scale-up for both plug-ins and cellulosic ethanol," said David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research.
"Nobody is going invest huge amounts of money until you feel you have reasonably optimum configuration, whether it's batteries or cellulosic fuels."
A 2007 energy law requires the United States to use 36 billion gallons of ethanol and other alternative fuels by 2022, including 16 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol. By next year, the U.S. must use 100 million gallons, which jumps to 1 billion by 2013.
Congress in February set aside $786.5 million to accelerate biofuels research and boost commercialization for biorefineries.
For hybrids, President Barack Obama has called for 1 million plug-in hybrids on the roads by 2016. And while some believe that goal may be unrealistic, his administration this week awarded $2.4 billion in grants to automakers, battery companies and others to ramp up production.
Sandy Stojkovski, director of Total Vehicle Fuel Economy at Ricardo Inc., said there is no doubt that electric vehicles are on the way.
"With CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) standards and government stimulus money, the VHS versus Beta wars that might be around -- is it diesel, is it gas, is it electrification? -- they're over," she said. "Electrification of the vehicle is coming." ... http://www.detnews.com/article/20090808/AUTO01/908080318/1148/Experts-say-electric-cars-are-on-the-way