[xico]

DAILY GRIST
24 Aug 2004
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>


1.
WHINING IS JOB ONE
Ford Battles Hybrid-Friendly Legislation, Destroys Electric Cars

Ford Motor Co. CEO Bill Ford's vocal attempts to position his company
as eco-friendly are sounding a little hollow this week. As the
California legislative session nears its end, Ford has ramped up
lobbying efforts to kill a bill that would allow drivers of
fuel-efficient hybrids to drive solo in the state's carpool lanes.
Ford said the measure -- sponsored by Assemblymember Fran Pavley (D)
and backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) -- is a "buy Japanese"
bill "intended for almost exclusive use by Toyota Prius drivers."
Ford took issue with the bill's stipulation that only hybrids getting
at least 45 miles to the gallon would qualify, which would exclude
his company's new hybrid Escape SUV. California Treasurer Phil
Angelides suggested that rather than whining, Ford should focus on
building more fuel-efficient vehicles. Meanwhile, Greenpeace is
protesting Ford's plan to destroy more than 400 of its Think electric
cars, despite an offer from a Norwegian distributor to buy the cars
and sell them to eager customers in Norway.

straight to the source: The Sacramento Bee, Margaret Talev, 24 Aug 2004
<http://www.gristmagazine.com/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=2884>

straight to the source: Terra Daily, Agence France-Presse, 24 Aug 2004
<http://www.gristmagazine.com/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=2885>

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Anybody know Ford's position?

[Wet Chicken]

Well maybe if Ford got off its @ss and took the initiative to make a non-gas powered car, they wouldn't be so behind right now All the other manufactures currently have a plan. They shouldn't be penalized just because Ford is so short sighted. The funny part is that usually Ford makes some good cars, but whoever made the decision not to study hybrids really bite the big one this time

Hopefully they'll get up to speed soon...

[LANMaster]

Dude, we need to see more hybrid cars on the road. Perhaps the legislation should be less strict with the MPG rating until the manufacturers can catch up.

A little better is better than no better at all.

The sooner alternative designs are WANTED BY THE CONSUMER, the sooner they will be on the road. Not a moment before.

[Wet Chicken]

Originally Posted by LANMaster

we need to see more hybrid cars on the road.

Wow, I can't believe we see eye to eye about something. I must run out to play the lottery

A little better is better than no better at all.

[LANMaster]

Cool beans!

advancing our transportation technology to burn cleaner and/or eliminate the need to buy other people's resources is just the logical thing to do.

It will take time, but the heel dragging MUST end.

[Wet Chicken]

Originally Posted by LANMaster

Cool beans!

Oh my God!!!!!!! I thought that I was the only one that still said that

It will take time, but the heel dragging MUST end.

I agree 100%!!!! No excuses for it taking this long...

[LANMaster]

LOL I am located in Northwest Arkansas. Cool beans is a religion down here!

Savor the moment. We disagree on some profound issues, but this one isn't one.

We may disagree on how to get there, ie free market/tax incentives/punative taxation etc. but at least we can agree that we need to get there, and we've been stalled for far too long.

[Mulderator]

I also find Ford's position hypocritcal as California already allows cars running on a natural gas type of fuel (it burns completely smog free) to use the car pool lanes with a single driver. I was thinking of getting one myself for that reason alone (i.e., use of the car pool lane). The only two vehicles I am aware of--one a Honda, the other, a Ford!

Ford didn't mind that legislation!

[LANMaster]

Wet chicken is going to blow a feather when he/she realizes that Mulder's also in agreement.

Quick! everybody duck!

[Mulderator]

http://www.aiada.org/article.asp?id=19676

Hal Harley no longer dreads his 100-mile round-trip drive from his home in Newport Beach to downtown Los Angeles. Harley drives his 2000 Ford Crown Victoria in the carpool lane- by himself-shaving an hour off his daily drive. And he isn't worried about getting a ticket.

By choosing a car that's powered by natural gas, Harley is one of 3,122 Southland drivers who legally can use the carpool lane. The perk is allowed under a 2000 law designed to encourage the use of alternative-fuel vehicles, including electric- and fuel cell- powered.


It's a gas: Hal Harley fueling his natural gas-powered Ford

"I'm always looking for a way to be more efficient, to get ahead and to do my job faster," said Harley, a private wealth manager. "I estimate that it's shaved three to four weeks a year off the time I spend in traffic."

But Harley and other users of alternative-fuel vehicles soon may have plenty of unwanted company.

Last month the state Assembly passed legislation that would offer so-called hybrid vehicles, such as the hot-selling Toyota Prius, the same access to carpool lanes.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is supporting the measure as it awaits consideration in the state Senate. Federal transportation officials also must approve it. Pending federal legislation would allow states to set their own carpool lane policies.

The prospect of sharing the carpool lane with hybrid drivers rankles some natural gas drivers.

"I want the hybrids to stay out of my lane," said Tony Orme, senior vice president and national sales manager at City National Bank.

Orme commutes 120 miles from Laguna Beach to Beverly Hills with a 2002 Honda Civic GX that burns natural gas.

"If the law passes, I would get rid of my natural gas vehicle and would probably have to buy a hybrid for the better gas mileage," he said.

Natural gas has its drawbacks, most especially the limited number of fuel stations in Los Angeles, and, for those who care, the pedestrian-looking design of the cars. But what natural gas vehicles do offer is the commuter's trifecta: easy on the pocketbook, good for the environment and a reduction in the time spent sitting in traffic.

"The benefits really make owning a natural gas car worth it," said Gina Phillips, a loan specialist at First Republic Bank in Corona del Mar.

Phillips bought a 2001 Honda Civic GX last year for $13,000 and has slashed her two-hour commute from Riverside in half, zipping through toll lanes for free during rush hour. She keeps her second car, a 1996 BMW Z3, in her garage.

Natural gas vehicles have been around since the early 1990s, when Dodge introduced a natural gas-powered Caravan minivan. At one time, all the major automakers produced a limited volume of natural gaspowered vehicles to meet federal clean-air standards.

In recent years, automakers have turned attention to hybrids and hydrogen-powered cars that are being developed for future massmarket use. Ford Motor Co., for one, has dropped production of all natural gas- and propane-powered vehicles.

From a consumer's standpoint, the tanks in natural gas vehicles are too small. Harley's Crown Victoria came with an 8.8-gallon fuel tank, which he's since upgraded.

The cars also don't get fuel economy as good as traditional gasoline engines, because the slower-burning fuel provides less torque.

There are roughly 100 natural gas stations in Southern California, many of them in out-of-the-way places. Pump prices are a relative bargain: about $1.89 recently, despite a dramatic spike this year in the cost of natural gas.

Gasoline-electric hybrid cars have an electric motor and an energy-recovery system powered by a large battery, the main source of the hybrid's efficiency and long range. Its main drawback: the $2,000 cost of replacing the battery packs, a contentious issue between consumers and manufacturers, particularly in determining a resale price for hybrids.

Natural gas-powered vehicles work the same as any other internal combustion engine, with the exception being that the fuel delivery system, from the tank to the injectors, is under high pressure. While tanks have been known to split apart like a hot dog left on the grill too long, they do not explode into flames because the fuel is lighter than air and evaporates quickly. By contrast, propane is heavier than air and has more danger of pooling and exploding.

As is typical with pioneers of new technol- ogy, there is no shortage of believers.

"I don't care how ugly this car is, I just didn't want to spend that much time on the freeway," said Harley, who paid $15,000 for his Crown Victoria three years ago and spent $5,000 adding two natural gas tanks to increase the car's range.

The question is how long it might last. Last week the California Air Resources Board came out with draft regulations that would force automakers to cut greenhouse gas emission by 30% in the next decade- a move that could alter the complexion of pollution standards in the state. At the least, it changes the definition of an alternative- fuel vehicle.

And even if hybrids can be kept from the carpool lanes-one of the key reasons behind their popularity-natural gas drivers may yet lose their advantage.

While most alternative-fuel vehicles in California still can use carpool lanes, the California Air Resources Board enacted more stringent regulations that went into effect Jan. 1. Those ended the perk for some low-emission vehicles.

Cars that already have permits have been grandfathered into the new regulations.

Among new cars, only the Honda Civic GX meets the new requirements.

Bruce Eikelberger, owner of Alternate Fuel Technologies, a restorer of specialty and racing vehicles in Huntington Beach, said the new regulations would discourage commuters from buying alternative vehicles.

"It's really sad, because this was the first incentive that would make people buy natural gas vehicles," he said. "If you take that away, the market will dry up."

Berry is a staff writer at the Los Angeles Business Journal.

Copyright CBJ, L. P. Jun 21-Jun 25, 2004

[Mulderator]

I'll tell you what. If that law passes. I'll buy myself a hybrid car, I guarantee you that, because the car pool lanes can make a huge difference and I have to travel a lot locally (taking depositions, court appearances, mediations, arbitrations, etc.) and I'm always frickin sitting in traffic! Bull$hit on that--Mulder is going Hybrid baby. Arnie knows what he's doing!

[eggplant43]

There has been a 7 month wait for the Prius. Toyota has announced it will up production for 2005 by 50%. I'm seriously considering either the Prius, Highlander Hybrid, or Ford Escape Hybrid as my next vehicle.

[Mulderator]

Originally Posted by eggplant43

There has been a 7 month wait for the Prius. Toyota has announced it will up production for 2005 by 50%. I'm seriously considering either the Prius, Highlander Hybrid, or Ford Escape Hybrid as my next vehicle.

Be careful eggy--my sister has one and she is very dissappoined because they rob you on the service and repairs (according to her)--you have to go to specially trained mechanics. And she says the parts are outrageous. So don't expect to save money (which is what she was buying for). If you go in with the understanding that you'll probably pay almost as much in extra service costs as you would in gas, you'll be fine.

[dimamo1983]

well, as much as I don't like fords, I gotta say that their position seems reasonable. True, Escape won't make it for the legislation, and that's their main concern. However, I do think this legislation is just bull and for once will agree with Ford, is only good for Honda/Toyota.

Ford is actually one of the first to start work on hybrids. They have released the escape and work on more prototypes. In addition, I've got a ride (which was really nice) in both their hydrogen cars - the fuel cell one and the hydrogen combustion engine (or whatever it's called).

And Ford actually did introduce an all-electric car - Ford Ranger. They've made about a thousand a few years ago of them but there was NO DEMAND WHATSOEVER, and the program was scrapped.

[Ciberblade]

People are now complaining about their 'lack' of gas mileage on these hybrids. They purchase one that can get 55mpg, then when they calculate themselves, it's only like 39mpg. And they have no clue that it's (PEBCAP)!