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Time - Man of the Year
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Time_Man_of_the_Year_Compact_Publishing_3YX-Disc-1_Compact_Publishing_1993.iso
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1992-09-10
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THE WEEK, Page 18BUSINESSPlug It In, Drive It Off
Chrysler introduces an electric van that can hit 65 on the
freeway
In theory, an electric car is an idea of blinding brilliance.
Since such cars are powered by batteries, not internal
combustion engines, there are no noxious emissions and no need
for gasoline. Gas stations soon disappear, as do refineries and
their occasional unhappy by-products, oil spills and groundwater
pollution. Electric cars are easy on the ears since they make
virtually no noise. Refueling? Drive up to a handy 220-volt
electrical outlet, plug in and charge up.
Auto-industry critics have long complained that
manufacturers, slavishly wedded to the status quo, have never
given electric cars a chance. No longer. Chrysler says it will
start rolling out electric-powered minivans this fall. Anyone
wishing to own the first on the block must be prepared to shell
out as much as $125,000, but utility companies are expected to
buy the entire production run of 50.
The van on display at the New York Auto Show has a range
of 100 miles per charge and can go from 0 to 60 in 25 seconds.
With a top speed of 65 m.p.h., it can hold its own on the
freeway. It is much more than a "glorified golf cart," as
Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca points out, adding, "You can get
a speeding ticket in this van."
Until battery technology improves dramatically, however,
electric cars will continue to occupy the smallest of market
niches. So Chrysler, Ford and GM are pooling their resources
with government approval in a $260 million research effort to
achieve a battery breakthrough. Some of the impetus comes from
a deadline set by California: as of 2003, the state will require
10% of the new cars sold there each year to be emission-free.
Ford did its share to reduce smog in the Golden State as
it unveiled two models that will exceed the first stage of the
state's stringent new clean-air code. By improving the
catalytic converters in their subcompacts, Ford beat the clock
on the tougher standards by four years. Research also continues
on vehicles fueled by natural gas and flexible mixtures of up
to 85% methanol and gasoline. As a result, car buyers are soon
going to face choices much more complicated than merely
deciding whether to buy their favorite sedan in green or red.