All About Cars

Californians are being taken for a ride by state clean-air regulators, who arebringing the rest of the country along. Decisions made by the California Air Resources Board early next year will determine whether we get the option of driving zero-emission, non-polluting cars soon, or whether we’ll see smoggy business as usual from the car companies for another decade.

Many consumers would love to drive cars that reduce greenhouse gases and our addiction to oil, but the auomakers resist. Fortunately, the Air Resources Board has the power to compel them to make the clean cars society needs. Progress through regulation is nothing new: It took laws to get seatbelts, airbags and catalytic converters. It took laws to get average mileage standards up from 12 mpg to 27 mpg. It will take regulations to get clean cars.

The air board’s first attempt to compel clean cars — the zero-emission-vehicle mandate of 1990 — put thousands of gas-free electric cars in the hands of consumers, who loved them. In 2001, however, the board started giving car companies partial credit toward meeting the mandate if they sold hybrids and other gasoline-dependent cars. Bad move. Automakers sued, asserting that because the 2001 standards included gas-burning cars, they were, in essence, fuel-efficiency standards. And only the federal government can set those.

At the same time, automakers were making inflated promises to build zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell vehicles — if they could just have a few years more. So the board gutted the zero-emission-vehicle mandate in 2003 and essentially turned it into a hydrogen research program. General Motors dangled claims that hydrogen fuel cell cars would be competitive in showrooms by 2004. Daimler-Chrysler predicted that it would sell 100,000 fuel cell cars by 2006.

But since 2003, automakers have produced fewer than 200 hydrogen fuel cell cars, each costing about $1 million, with a fuel cell lifespan of two to four years and many technological challenges left to overcome.

A few major automakers are trotting out their hydrogen hardware this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show, claiming they’ll lease small numbers of them to handpicked drivers in the next few years. In a deja vu to 2003, automakers are hyping the promise of hydrogen just as the air board is again revising the zero-emission-vehicle mandate. Behind the scenes, car companies have convinced the board’s staff that they can’t meet the goal of producing 25,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles after 2012, so the staff is suggesting that the board ease that requirement.

There are signs, however, that the bloom may be fading from the hydrogen rose. This month, one of the biggest fuel cell companies, Ballard Power Systems, bailed out after pouring millions of dollars into fuel cell vehicles. A Toyota official predicted that fuel cell cars won’t be mass commercialized until after 2030.

That’s not soon enough to avoid global warming, thousands of deaths from air pollution and wars over oil.

Meanwhile, the battery electric cars produced until 2003 have shown that they can do the job. Some have passed 100,000 miles on the odometer, and the batteries are still going strong. A few hybrid owners have added batteries and converted their cars to plug-in hybrids that drive mostly on electricity but retain a gas engine for long-distance trips. Building a network of fast-charging stations would cost a fraction of the tab for building hydrogen fueling stations.

The persistent bias in favor of hydrogen among state regulators defies logic — and yet it could once again distract from fair treatment of more-realistic electric cars. Examples:

* On Thursday, the air board adopted a state alternative fuels plan that suggests using plug-in hybrids and biofuels would be cleaner than scenarios that rely on hydrogen fuel cell cars. But the plan largely ignores battery electric vehicles. That’s foolish, especially in light of a study done for the state Energy Commission that found that electric cars — which use the existing power grid — reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by 68% compared with conventional cars. Hydrogen fuel cell cars — for which there is no infrastructure — would achieve only a 54% reduction.

* State-funded studies starting soon at UC Berkeley and UC Irvine will compare plug-in hybrids with conventional hybrids and with hydrogen fuel cell cars — but not with battery electric cars. That makes no sense, especially because right now several major automakers are expressing interest in resuming production of electric cars. The air board should provide state-owned electric cars for the studies, if necessary, for complete comparisons.

* The board’s current zero-emission-vehicle regulations favor hydrogen by granting one fuel cell vehicle the same amount of credits as 10 electric vehicles in meeting state goals; the proposed regulations for 2008 give three fuel cell cars the same credits as four electric vehicles. Narrowing that credit gap isn’t enough. The board should insist on one-to-one technological neutrality and not push back the deadlines just because hydrogen cars aren’t ready. Treat hydrogen and electric vehicles equally, and let the market decide.

There’s no time to waste. Only California can pass clean-air laws that are stricter than federal standards. But many other states adopt California’s requirements, so what the board does has national implications for our health, for the environment and for national security. A slower drive away from gasoline is a ride we don’t want to take.

Coming soon to a freeway near you: cars that don’t need gasoline. American Honda Motor Co, Ford Motor Co and General Motors Corp. announced plans at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday to put alternative fuel technology vehicles on the road in California in coming months. A few drivers will even get to park them in their garages.

Honda and GM’s Chevrolet have developed hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars for limited test use, while Ford is producing a plug-in hybrid vehicle. And although none are being manufactured in large quantities —mass production is still years away—the limited trials will be a tantalising taste of what’s likely to come.

The FCX Clarity is what Honda calls a “production” version of a hydrogen fuel cell car it first exhibited two years ago. It promises zero emissions and luxury features such as heated seats and Bluetooth connectivity while getting about the equivalent of 68 miles per gallon.

Honda says it will lease the four-door sedans to a limited number of people by next summer. The three-year lease—the first time fuel cell cars will have been made commercially available anywhere—will be $600 a month, or about the cost of a BMW 5 Series , Honda executives said. Motorists will be able to keep the cars at home and drive them as they please while being mindful that the fuel tank allows them to go 270 miles between fill-ups.

The Japanese automaker won’t say how much each FCX Clarity costs to make but admits the lease comes nowhere near to covering its expenses. Hydrogen fuel cell cars, which convert hydrogen into electricity used to power a motor, can cost $1 million or more each to make. “At the end of the lease, we definitely want them back,” said Dan Bonawitz, vice-president of corporate planning and logistics for Honda. The company will use the lease term to gather information on the vehicle.

GM, meanwhile, says it will distribute 100 hydrogen fuel cell-powered Chevrolet Equinox crossovers over the next half year, including 10 that it will lend to Walt Disney Co. Like the Honda FCX, the Equinoxes will be used for company research. “These will give up a good practical test of where these cars belong,” said GM Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz, adding that other Equinoxes will end up in “the hands of the public” and celebrities.

Honda and GM are focusing on Southern California because of its relative abundance of hydrogen fuel stations. Beyond Santa Monica, Irvine and Torrance, there are stations in Burbank, Diamond Bar and Long Beach, and about 20 others in the state. In many other parts of the country, there are no stations.

Ford, meanwhile, is lending 20 plug-in hybrid Escapes to Southern California Edison . The utility, which will use them as fleet vehicles, is to take delivery next month. Ford said it had planned to announce the partnership on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” but was unable to do so because of the writers strike.

The tests by Honda, Ford and GM are “a demonstration on the part of the carmakers that they’re green,” said David Healy, an analyst at Burnham Securities. “Or at least that they look like they’re green.”

Garmin Ltd. said Monday Volvo Cars Corp. will install one of the company’s portable satellite navigation models in certain cars.

The nuvi 760 will be used in the Volvo C30 and Volvo XC70, available at Volvo dealerships in North America and Europe.

The nuvi 760 fits current Volvo car models and can be fitted to certain earlier models as well. The product is expected to be available in early December.

Waikato police say last night’s crash which killed a man and left five people seriously injured was caused when a car waiting to turn right was struck from behind.

The impact threw the car into the opposing lane, where it was struck by an oncoming vehicle.

The dead man was 65-year-old Ngaruawahia local Bob Frazer. He was the front seat passenger in the stationary vehicle.

A mother and her three children, aged seven, four and 18-months, remain seriously ill in Waikato Hospital.

A 12-year-old is in hospital after being hit crossing the road in Christchurch.

The child was struck just after 8am on Lake Terrace Rd, near Burwood Primary School.

A St John Ambulance spokesman says the child was taken to Christchurch Hospital with moderate to serious injuries.

The Police Complaints Authority is investigating after a police car struck another vehicle in Christchurch yesterday.

Inspector Craig McKay says shortly before six the unit was called out to an incident involving a man brandishing a knife on Ferry Road. He says the police car was going through a green light east-bound on Tuam Street at the time. It slowed down at the intersection with lights and sirens going - it appears at this stage the other vehicle has turned in front of the police car and was hit side-on.

Inspector McKay says the three men in the car were taken to hospital but he believes there are no serious injuries. The airbags in the police vehicle deployed and the officers were uninjured.

A pedestrian is in a serious condition after being struck by a car in the Canterbury town of Leeston early this morning.

The man has been airlifted to Christchurch Hospital.

Police and the Serious Crash Unit attended the scene in High Street.

A disappointing race one for the New Zealand drivers at the latest round of the V8 Supercars in Bahrain.

Holden driver Greg Murphy was the best of the kiwis in 10th place, nearly 40 seconds behind the race winner, Ford’s Mark Winterbottom.

Garth Tander was second in a Commodore with Steven Johnson third in a Falcon.

Team Kiwi Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen was the next best kiwi behind Murphy in 15th place finished 15th, while Murphy’s Tasman Motorsport team-mate Jason Richards was 16th.

Road safety authorities are singing the praises of electronic stability control sensors in cars. It follows analysis of more than 200,000 crashes throughout New Zealand and Australia. It found a dramatic 51 percent reduction in single-vehicle crashes in four-wheel drives equipped with the sensors.

Land Transport chief Wayne Donnelly says the study confirms electronic stability control is a highly effective means of reducing deaths and injuries on the roads. He says fast-tracking its use should be a priority.

People buying cars for company or rental fleets are being urged to have ESC fitted to the vehicles.

The Smart car is certainly making a smart move: Hitting the U.S. market just as gasoline prices pass the US$3-a-gallon mark.

The Smart Fortwo micro car is one of the stars of the Los Angeles Auto Show, where it’s trying to drum up buyers before it goes on sale in January.

Europeans have been driving Smart cars for a decade and the vehicle has been sold in Canada since 2004, but the Smart is just now hitting U.S. roadways. Smart USA President Dave Schembri, who worked on a team that considered a Smart sport utility vehicle for the U.S. market in the late 1990s, said the country just wasn’t ready for Smart at the time. But fuel prices and increasing concern about the environment have changed that, he said.

“We need to get smaller in society in terms of our consumption,” Schembri said.

Subcompact cars made up 2.4 per cent of the U.S. market in the first 10 months of this year, compared to 1.7 per cent a year ago, according to the Power Information Network, a division of J.D. Power and Associates. Total U.S. vehicle sales were down three per cent this year, indicating that small cars are gaining fans.

Smart is now contacting the 30,000 people who have plunked down $99 to reserve the two-seater, Schembri said. He said that group includes college students and Baby Boomers, RV owners and multi-millionaires. People from all 50 states have reserved Smart cars, he said, defying conventional wisdom that the car is only for urban dwellers. California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, and New York are among the top states for reservations.

“It’s a car that has all the rational reasons to buy it, it has all the social responsibility reasons to buy it, and in addition, you get an emotional kick with this car,” he said. “When you go up to any traffic light or stop at any store, you get reaffirmed that you made a great purchase. People are giving you a thumbs up or a smile or taking your picture. What other kind of product can you buy and get that immediate admiration?”

Smart is a division of Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz brand. It will be made in France and sold through 73 U.S. dealers, including Mercedes dealers and dealerships that are part of the Penske Automotive Group. Roger Penske, a racing icon and chairman of Penske Corp., also is chairman of Smart USA.

The Smart’s base price is US$11,590. A fully loaded Smart Fortwo Passion convertible goes for $16,950. The car gets about 40 miles per U.S. gallon.

Some industry analysts are skeptical about Smart’s chances in the United States, where Trucks, sport utility vehicles and crossovers still command more than half the market and gas prices, while rising, still don’t approach Europe’s.

Schembri won’t say how many vehicles Smart hopes to sell in 2008, but Aaron Bragman, an analyst with Global Insight, said he doesn’t expect it will more than 20,000, and sales will probably fall off after that. By comparison, the Toyota Yaris - the most popular subcompact on the market - sold 73,874 units in the first 10 months of this year, according to Autodata Corp.

“I think it will be a novelty,” Bragman said. “It’s a very niche market, and I’m not very sure it has much staying power.”

Bragman said for the price, buyers could get a used car with a lot more space and practicality. Unless gas prices hit $5 to $6 a gallon, he said, it’s hard to picture Smart gaining much ground.

Even in Europe, Smart has never been profitable. Daimler announced a restructuring of the division last year, when sales fell to 102,700 vehicles worldwide from 124,300 in 2005.

But Schembri said Smart is determined to be a player in the United States. He said the brand isn’t doing any advertising so it can plow its revenues into product development, and he envisions a hybrid Smart in the next three years along with special editions like a sporty Smart. Smart also is testing a fleet of 100 electric vehicles in London, he said.

Another issue for some consumers will be safety. Smart has a steel safety cage and four airbags, including two in front and two on the sides to protect the head and abdomen. It also has standard electronic stability control, which is designed to stop vehicles from swerving off the road. But the small size is off-putting to some drivers, particularly if they’re driving in the shadow of a hulking SUV.

Schembri said the Smart Fortwo is designed to get four out of five stars on U.S. crash tests and recently got four stars on an equivalent European test. The U.S. government will test the Smart car after it arrives on the market.