U.S. Big Three offers a 'green' view at Detroit

By Russell Williamson

AMERICA's Big Three carmakers have taken on Japanese and European manufacturers in a race to mass-market affordable environmentally compatible cars.

Without being an official theme, the prevailing mood at this week's North American International Auto Show in Detroit was definitely "green" with Chrysler, General Motors and Ford showing concept cars aimed at reducing cars' environmental damage.

At last year's Tokyo motor show, the Japanese and Europeans got a jump-start on the Americans with Toyota launching its mass- market hybrid Prius sedan and Mercedes showing a fuel cell A- Class.

But on the other side of the Pacific, the impression has been that the United States, with its love affair with big gas- guzzling trucks, was lagging.

Now, with the cars on display at Detroit, Ford, GM and Chrysler are out to tell the world they are not environmental vandals and are as close to producing environmentally sustainable automotive solutions as the Japanese and Europeans.

From a visual perspective, Chrysler leads the way, pointing out that environmentally compatible cars can look good too.

The company's Plymouth Pronto Spyder may look sports car with its midmounted 175kW supercharged engine driving the rear wheels, but the body is all thermoplastic using the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) technology that goes into soft drink bottles.

According to Chrysler, by using the plastic body, the car is not only lighter, and therefore more fuel efficient, but totally recyclable and doesn't need painting. It is also significantly cheaper to build.

The company claims PET technology, which has been used in Chrysler's China car concept, has the potential to reduce manufacturing costs by 80 percent over conventional methods using steel.

The lower manufacturing costs for the body will also help offset high costs for alternative drivetrains such as hybrids and fuel cells.

At last year's Detroit show, Chrysler showed a hybrid four- door sedan concept, the ESX, which at the time, the company said would command a US$60,000 premium over a similar conventional car.

This year, the company displayed the ESX2, a similar concept but with a PET body, which would only cost an extra $15,000.

Chrysler's executive vice president, Tom Gale, is confident the technology will be fully developed to production.

An extensive feasibility study was already under way, he said.

Although Gale would not put a date on the full scale production of PET car bodies, he said the Pronto Spyder could go into production with a PET body indicating a timeframe of less than five years.

While Chrysler concentrated on environmentally compatible bodies, General Motors' focus was on drivetrains with the company offering a smorgasbord of hybrid and fuel cell power trains and long-range batteries.

"Our family of clean-car options is growing fast," GM president John Smith said.

"This year, we're phasing in nickel-metal-hydride batteries to our pioneering electric vehicles, the EV1 and S-10 Electric truck, and we plan to have a production-ready hybrid electric vehicle by 2001 and fuel cell electric vehicle by 2004, or sooner."

Among GM's technology showcase were an advanced battery production EV1 and S-10 electric truck.

The new nickel metal hydride battery doubles the range of electric vehicles to more than 250 highway kilometers per charge (140 city) and is better in colder climates.

Two different hybrid drivetrains were installed in other earth-friendly concepts on display, a series hybrid and parallel hybrid.

The series hybrid drivetrain uses an electric motor to drive the front wheels while a gas turbine generator system charges the battery pack.

Regenerative braking also charges the battery pack helping fuel consumption to a level of about 3.5l/100km using reformulated gasoline.

The turbine engine utilizes aerospace technology to provide increased efficiency and very low emissions.

The parallel hybrid was installed in a sports concept that achieves about 3.0l/100km using diesel fuel and an electric motor to drive the front wheels.

The "21st Century Hot Rod" was clean and green, fast and fun.

A fuel cell-powered electric motor offers near zero emissions of oxides of nitrogen and half the carbon dioxide of gasoline engines by using the same kind of energy system used in the Space Shuttle.

The fuel cell is clean and efficient and has strong potential to be the best long-term solution to environmentally compatible vehicles.

Also among the family of vehicles GM showed at Detroit was a 1.0l, three-cylinder turbo-charged compressed natural-gas engine capable of achieving about 3.5l/100km (gasoline equivalent).

A continuously variable transmission is standard to help provide for a smoother ride.

The car also meets Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Standard (ULEV) with natural gas being a cleaner, plentiful, low priced alternative to gasoline.

"These cars are clean, safe and fun to drive," Smith said.

"General Motors will continue to leverage its size, expertise and global resources to build on the valuable lessons we've learned from launching the first designed-from-the-ground-up electric vehicle, EV1."

The EV1's lightweight structure, with the world's most advanced electric drive system and regenerative braking system, laid the foundation for a portfolio of electric, hybrid and fuel cell products.

"Combining advanced propulsion systems with EV1's high- efficiency vehicle architecture allows us to investigate the full potential of these emerging technologies," said Ken Baker, vice president, Global Research and Development Operations.

"These new technologies not only must be environmentally friendly, but must deliver customer value. Clean cars such as the EV1 may be niche vehicles now, but in the future they'll be produced for mass markets."

But Smith said GM's marketing plans for the advanced- technology vehicles would depend on the global transportation infrastructure, affordability and customer acceptance of new technology.

He underscored the imperative of balancing sound science with sound economics.

"General Motors is committed to developing long-term sustainable market solutions that balance the interests of environmental stakeholders and corporate stockholders, and most importantly, customers."

In light of the recent Kyoto global climate agreement, Smith noted that General Motors' strategy of pursuing a family of options provides the most promise of increasing fuel economy and lowering emissions.

However, Smith cautioned that mandating target emissions levels and dates is risky. "Innovation, not regulation, is the answer to reducing emissions.

Regulation can divert an automaker's resources and attention from fully exploring the range of technologies, like those we are showing today."