California "Green Tuners" Clamor for Plug-in Cars

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/Reuters: California "Green Tuners" Clamor for Plug - in Cars
By REUTERS
Published: November 29, 2006

LOS ANGELES ( Reuters) - Russell Long already owns a pair of fuel-efficient hybrid cars -- a Toyota Prius and a Honda Civic -- but his dream car is not on the market yet: a zippy number he could plug in to recharge at night that would get over 100 miles per gallon.

Long, who founded of the San Francisco-based Bluewater Network to reduce water pollution, is one of a growing number of environmentalists pushing auto companies to produce plug-in hybrids to reduce U.S. oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from auto traffic.

This push is especially strong in California, whose tough regulations have encouraged the big automakers to test a range of alternatives to traditional gas engines, from hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles to cars that run on natural gas.

But the most active grass-roots environmental campaign favors plug-in hybrids, which store power in rechargeable batteries and can run only on battery-power for short trips in congested cities like Los Angeles.

"It has the potential to reduce oil consumption by millions of barrels per day,'' said Long, who has lobbied General Motors Corp. (GM.N) and Ford Motor Co. (F.N) to get behind the technology. "If the question is what can we do in the short-term, there is only one answer, and that's plug-in hybrids.''...

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-autoshow-plugins.html

[Auggie]

1. Cool. I wonder how the oil companies will try to stop it?

[Pharaoh]

2. It is Amazing GM could say that

after they effectively killed their very own very popular electric car the EV1 !!!

on edit: oops, my bad, I guess GM is still in psychosis..

[jpak]

3. Now if they could come up with a plug-in flex-fuel hybrid

that got 100 mpg...

[jpak]

4. GM Shocker! Plug in hybrid SUV announced

http://autos.netscape.com/story/2006/11/29/gm-shocker-plug-in-hybrid-suv-announced/

General Motors CEO, Rick Wagoner, just wrapped up his keynote address to the salivating throngs of journos within the LA convention center and the crux of his comments centered on the flexibility of GM's future vehicle's fuel systems.

The major announcement was the development of a plug-in hybrid setup on the Saturn Vue Green Line's front-wheel drive platform. It will be based on the front-wheel drive two-mode hybrid drivetrain that GM also announced today. Although no time frame was cited, Wagoner insists that development is underway with battery manufacturers to develop the technology as quickly as possible.

We'll have more information as the day progresses.

On a comical side note: two well dressed gentlemen in their 20s grabbed the podium after Wagoner's remarks and pulled out a large banner that pledged that the CEO would commit to making GM the most fuel efficient automaker by 2010. When asked to sign, Wagoner commented that his speech spoke for itself, at which point both gentlemen were escorted off the stage by security. Never a dull moment on this side of the planet.

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[Auggie]

5. Wow -- that's great news (as long as GM stays committed)

[Dead_Parrot]

6. OK, who is this guy...

...and what he done with the real Rick Wagoner?