|
The AutoWeek article, GM's
r&d guru says 'cooperation would make sense' in drive
to create hydrogen-powered vehicles really bothered me
when I read it this weekend. In fact, it made me research
Crain Communications to see if they were somehow
corporately connected to GM.
O.K., I couldn't find any connection. Nonetheless,
AutoWeek is just one piece of Crain Communications and it
is obvious that Crain Communications is about one thing -
advertising. While there isn't a corporate connection
between Crain and GM, there is certainly a huge
relationship - advertising budgets.
But all automakers spend advertising dollars, why would
Crain care the most about GM, you ask? Well, in the past
several years, GM has spent about twice as much as any
other automaker per year, and we're talking billions.
So, what was it that bothered me so much about the GM
article?
I love the idea of fuel cells and I've read hundreds of
articles about fuel cells and fuel cell vehicles.
Ultimately, however, there are many issues regarding the
functionality of fuel cells, especially in the near term -
which is decades long. Just because GM has been promising
fuel cells since the Nixon administration doesn't mean
their fuel cell technology is the best.
Perhaps, as the article suggests, there should be
cooperation between automakers regarding fuel cell
vehicles, but any implication that GM is the fuel cell
leader is a huge stretch at this point in time.
I'd say that GM, in fact, isn't the leader.
Toyota's approach to fuel cells is a good bit different
than GM because Toyota fuel cell vehicles are hybrid
vehicles. The fact that Toyota's gasoline electric
hybrids can adapt into diesel electric hybrids, hydrogen
electric hybrids, and -finally - fuel cell electric
hybrids, offers something that GM doesn't offer -
flexibility.
A recent press release from a Technical Insights Group at
Frost & Sullivan notes, "Stricter emission
standards are forcing companies to manufacture
environment-friendly automobiles, with the resultant
explosion in interest in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles.
Automotive safety is another major concern, as advances in
electronics and sensor technologies seek to make driving
safer."
"Though Japanese companies such as Toyota and Honda
have taken the lead in hybrid vehicle development, the
growing concern over automotive pollution has led to a
flurry of interest in this arena. Development is underway
at all major automotive R&D houses to produce more
fuel-efficient cars -- hybrid, fuel cell, or a cross
between the two," notes Rajesh Kannan.
I repeat, "or a cross between the two".
Many autowriters have called hybrids just a step towards
fuel cells, others have called them a bridge to fuel cell
vehicles. Ultimately, however, today's hybrids can evolve
into fuel cell hybrids. Today's gasoline electric Prius
could be tomorrow's fuel cell electric Prius. Thus, some
essential fuel cell developments are already taking place today
in these hybrids and the future is that much closer.
Hybrids just might prove that billions of dollars for
hydrogen fueling stations are not even needed. There could
be a better way than GM's fuel cell vehicle path, perhaps
even an easier, less expensive path.
AutoWeek writers work for Crain Communications and far too
often AutoWeek has shown an unobjective bias against
hybrids and for GM. The focus of Crain Communications
doesn't appear to be an objective view of the automotive
future, but rather a subjective grab for today's
advertising dollars.
Comment
on this article.
|
