Hummers that don't need GAS

[DURAMAX TIM]

What happens to all the 'tree huggers' when we get FC in our H2 and don't need gas.

Fuel Cell Cars Will Make Hybrids Obsolete, GM Says
Reuters
October 6, 2003
By Chang-Ran Kim, Asia auto correspondent

TOKYO - Less than a week after its biggest Japanese rival touted the economic and ecological benefits of hybrids, General Motors made a case of its own on Monday: only hydrogen-fueled cars will survive in the endgame.

As the debate heats up over what the car of the future will ultimately look like, auto makers are staging a loud public relations battle to play up their strengths and justify the huge spending on developing the technologies so far.

Just last Thursday, Japan's top auto maker, Toyota Motor, invited journalists to tour the production site of its new Prius hybrid to demonstrate how cheaply they could be built by sharing an assembly line with conventional mass-market cars.
But Larry Burns, GM's vice president of research, development and planning, said zero-emission fuel cell vehicles (FCV) will eventually make gasoline-electric hybrids obsolete, rejecting Toyota's view that hybrids will remain on the road even after FCVs become affordable for the average consumer.
"The race needs to be judged with a long-term view -- the goal is to get automobiles out of the environmental debate altogether," he told Reuters in an interview.
Hybrids use electric motors and battery packs to improve fuel efficiency, adding power during acceleration and reclaiming energy when braking and coasting, but still need gasoline to run.
GM has invested about $1 billion in developing fuel cells to power electric motors in vehicles, and wants to be the first auto maker to sell a million FCVs. It hopes to commercialize FCVs by 2010 -- one of the most optimistic targets in the industry.
Japan's Toyota and Honda Motor became the first to put a saleable FCV on the road last year, but the cars are only on lease since they still cost millions of dollars to produce.
Despite the many hurdles that remain to make FCVs commercially viable -- such as a lack of infrastructure and safety standards -- Burns said weaning the industry off gasoline would become imperative as fledgling car markets like those in China and India continue to grow.
"If you look at the growth of economies in the world -- whether it be the U.S., Japan, Europe, or Brazil, Russia, India, China and Korea -- commensurate with that is the growth in energy consumption," he said.
And with many countries relying almost 100 percent on foreign oil, they would eventually want vehicles that don't o conventional gasoline combustion engines in the interim before FCVs take over.
In a week-long presentation in Tokyo with its Japanese affiliates that started on Monday, the GM group will showcase other cutting-edge technology such as truck maker Isuzu Motors' clean diesel engines and Fuji Heavy Industries' research into next-generation car batteries.
GM, which also has a capital alliance with minivehicle maker Suzuki Motor and South Korea's Daewoo Motor in Asia, plans to begin selling its first gas-electric hybrid cars next year.

Imagine the Hummers getting better gas mileage than the 'rice burning' Toys and Hondas.

[DURAMAX TIM]

What happens to all the 'tree huggers' when we get FC in our H2 and don't need gas.

Fuel Cell Cars Will Make Hybrids Obsolete, GM Says
Reuters
October 6, 2003
By Chang-Ran Kim, Asia auto correspondent

TOKYO - Less than a week after its biggest Japanese rival touted the economic and ecological benefits of hybrids, General Motors made a case of its own on Monday: only hydrogen-fueled cars will survive in the endgame.

As the debate heats up over what the car of the future will ultimately look like, auto makers are staging a loud public relations battle to play up their strengths and justify the huge spending on developing the technologies so far.

Just last Thursday, Japan's top auto maker, Toyota Motor, invited journalists to tour the production site of its new Prius hybrid to demonstrate how cheaply they could be built by sharing an assembly line with conventional mass-market cars.
But Larry Burns, GM's vice president of research, development and planning, said zero-emission fuel cell vehicles (FCV) will eventually make gasoline-electric hybrids obsolete, rejecting Toyota's view that hybrids will remain on the road even after FCVs become affordable for the average consumer.
"The race needs to be judged with a long-term view -- the goal is to get automobiles out of the environmental debate altogether," he told Reuters in an interview.
Hybrids use electric motors and battery packs to improve fuel efficiency, adding power during acceleration and reclaiming energy when braking and coasting, but still need gasoline to run.
GM has invested about $1 billion in developing fuel cells to power electric motors in vehicles, and wants to be the first auto maker to sell a million FCVs. It hopes to commercialize FCVs by 2010 -- one of the most optimistic targets in the industry.
Japan's Toyota and Honda Motor became the first to put a saleable FCV on the road last year, but the cars are only on lease since they still cost millions of dollars to produce.
Despite the many hurdles that remain to make FCVs commercially viable -- such as a lack of infrastructure and safety standards -- Burns said weaning the industry off gasoline would become imperative as fledgling car markets like those in China and India continue to grow.
"If you look at the growth of economies in the world -- whether it be the U.S., Japan, Europe, or Brazil, Russia, India, China and Korea -- commensurate with that is the growth in energy consumption," he said.
And with many countries relying almost 100 percent on foreign oil, they would eventually want vehicles that don't o conventional gasoline combustion engines in the interim before FCVs take over.
In a week-long presentation in Tokyo with its Japanese affiliates that started on Monday, the GM group will showcase other cutting-edge technology such as truck maker Isuzu Motors' clean diesel engines and Fuji Heavy Industries' research into next-generation car batteries.
GM, which also has a capital alliance with minivehicle maker Suzuki Motor and South Korea's Daewoo Motor in Asia, plans to begin selling its first gas-electric hybrid cars next year.

Imagine the Hummers getting better gas mileage than the 'rice burning' Toys and Hondas.

[MAC]

Anyone remember the HDTV race a decade ago? HDTV was predicted to be the next BIG thing, whoever dominate the HDTV will dominate the new tech frontier and the future. (This was before anyone knew about internet or what to do with that campus internet trick.) Our Japanese friends raced into HDTV with billions of dollars spent on R&D. There were chicken-little cries within this country that America is falling behind and losing its grip on innovation and the future.

What happened on their way laughing all the way to the bank? They lost all those billions, nobody is willing to pay for HDTV and there is no HDTV to watch, it is just a new and improved gadget. FTC HDTV standard ruling overnight killed all that Japanese HDTV mess.

A free market system based on greed and profit will always figure out the latest technologies to solve the problem (if there is really a problem) and meet the needs of the people. Not radical environmental movements nor government regulations.

[Detonate]

No clue what you are talking about there MAC. HDTV kicks ass, and the only shows I watch are in HDTV.

Watch CBS sometime. Just about every primetime show they have is in HD.

-Jim March
Arlington TX
2003 Red H2
Beauty is in the eye of the Beer Holder

[MAC]

Jim, In the late '80s and early '90s, major Japanese firms rush to develop HDTV, set the HDTV standard, thus control the future of HDTV market. After many years of hard work and billions spent, FCC ruled the HDTV standard must be compatible with existing TV standard, that killed the Japanese HDTV instantly, because their HDTV is of a different standard, and since USA is the number One market in the world, without the American market, there is no reason for living for their HDTV standard. The HDTV on the market today is based on totally different HDTV technologies than what the Japanese developed. This is a classic textbook case taught in B schools.

You maybe watching HDTV, but most Americans are not. You may have paid big bucks for HDTV, but most Americans have not. They will one day, but not now, not until when they are cheap enough. One thing is for sure, HDTV did not turn out to be a big deal, yet. Nowhere near what the internet turned out to be, which the Japanese missed completely.

La Pointe is, being late to a technology is not a bad thing.

[Albie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Detonate:
No clue what you are talking about there MAC. HDTV kicks ass, and the only shows I watch are in HDTV.

Watch CBS sometime. Just about every primetime show they have is in HD.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Yeah HD freaken rocks.... ESPN and Hbo

[KenP]

Some of you may recall that I just moved into what I call "Ken's Krib". I've got Directv hooked up to a 50" Plasma (traded the 42") and cannot believe the HD picture. I want to get a new HD antenea on the roof for local channels next.
Alec and Albie are right on, HD kicks...

Black Lingenfelter Lux