Jan. 14, 2007: The Boston Globe—Vehicles of the Future

Summary: "The electric car, derided as impractical by automakers since General Motors Corp. pulled the plug on its revolutionary EV1, is staging a comeback in the United States amid lofty fuel prices and persistent worries about the nation’s dependence on imported oil.

GM, the chief villain in the recent documentary ‘Who Killed the Electric Car?’ had plans for a new family of electric vehicles as the annual North American International Auto Show in Detroit began its four-day media preview last Sunday."

Most of the talk has been about GM and its plug-in, series hybrid Chevy Volt prototype. But that version of hybrid gas-electric propulsion might be somewhere in the middle, as far as how likely (and how soon) it is to be built.

Two other electrifying concepts were introduced at the Detroit show: the Ford AirStream and the Toyota FT-HS. Ford’s idea marries an electric motor to a hydrogen fuel cell for onboard charging; Toyota’s concept is a 400-horsepower sports monster with a nod to clean air.

Ford’s idea is plainly furthest out. Given past performance, will the first of these concepts to market be sold by Toyota or GM?

> Read Full Story

> More Hybrid Cars News