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Questions Remain About The Electric Car

Posted on: Friday, 13 June 2008, 18:10 CDT

Auto industry executives said designing effective plug-in electric cars is dependent on developing powerful and reliable batteries that can last a decade. But radios, apartments, toys and extension cords also factor into the mass-market equation.

Troy Clarke, president of General Motors Corp North American operations, said most consumers wouldn’t sacrifice a radio for more electric range.

Clarke spoke to an audience at the electric car conference on Thursday. GM is currently developing a new electric car, the Chevrolet Volt—due to roll off assembly lines in 2010.

"We're taking those needs into account as we develop the vehicle," he said. The Chevy Volt is GM's global answer to energy independence and the shift from the U.S. industry's core business of gas-guzzling sport utilities and pickups.

"We, as automakers, need to take the lead, no question," Clarke said. But, he added, "government has a significant role to play."

Prospects for breakthroughs in battery power vary with U.S . manufacturers calling on the government to get behind large-scale efforts to fund research and development.

Asia is ahead of the U.S. in battery development—Toyota Motor Corp’s Prius is the hybrid leader.

Supportive lawmakers are trying to leverage the gap as a rallying cry for Congress to help the auto industry.

Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a staunch auto industry ally, said the U.S. has not had a “level playing field when it comes to supporting our auto industry and manufacturers as much as other countries are doing.”

Millions of dollars for battery research are stuck in legislative limbo on Capitol Hill.

A group in Washington, including GM, Ford Motor Co, and utility company executives, economists and environmentalists, spent a week pouring over the prospects of developing and marketing electric cars that can be plugged into household outlets to recharge.

GM’s Volt is the leading answer, but Ford is moving ahead with five hybrid vehicles and is road testing its Ford Escape plug-in. Privately held Chrysler, which has focused on clean-burning diesel as an alternative to gasoline, is also taking steps with General Electric Co to get into the hybrid game.

The executives said manufacturers would have to convince consumers that the new class of vehicles would have much better fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

“Shifting from a century of gasoline engines requires more than creative thought,” said Mark Fields, Clarke’s counterpart at Ford.

"Nearly everyone has electricity, but how many potential consumers have garages?" Fields asks. "Overnight charging isn't readily available for most people who live in apartments or condos."

Fields brought up common questions about long extension cords, leaving the rechargeable vehicles out in the rain or having the owner forget to charge them after a long day.

Fields felt the most important question was "when you're not at home, how do you pay for the electricity you use to recharge your vehicle?"

"How do you know how much electricity will cost?" in the future, he said.

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Source: redOrbit Staff and Wire Reports

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