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Ms.
Callahan Is Thrilled
"It
exceeded every expectation and hope that
we had on every level," Kateri Callahan,
executive director of the Electric Vehicle
Association of the Americas, organizer and
host of ETIC 2001, told ShowTimes after
the whirlwind week in Sacramento.
"It
went well beyond what we were able to do
at the North American conference to date,"
Callahan said in reference to past years'
events. Attendance of about 700 was the
most ever at a U.S. electric vehicle gathering,
and presence of about 100 reporters made
for unprecedented media coverage. There
were ETIC delegates from 10 countries, from
as far away as China, Japan and Nigeria,
and 62 exhibitors.
"This
was huge for us," Callahan said.
Making national
news was the Natrium, a new fuel cell vehicle
from DaimlerChrysler. The Natrium gets its
hydrogen via a borax-based system from New
Jersey's Millennium Cell said to yield a
one-tank range of 300 miles — comparable
to gasoline.
Other ETIC
standouts included the first showing of
Honda's Civic Hybrid, with an innovative
engine-valve control to boost the vehicle's
regenerative braking; confirmation that
Toyota will sell its RAV4-EV to the public;
news that all-electric AVS buses with ultracapacitors
will get a trial in New York City; and the
EV industry debut of Saminco, a mining vehicle
specialist that's quietly been supplying
key hardware for big-visibility projects
including Ballard fuel cell and GM-Allison
hybrid buses.
In fitting
with the current state of the market and
the California ZEV requirements, there were
plenty of commuter and neighborhood EVs,
some from new manufacturers, at ETIC 2001.
It became clear at the show (duly reported
by ShowTimes) that General Motors, which
is suing California to try to block the
ZEV mandate, is talking with other companies
about buying their ZEV credits — if
not acquiring them outright.
Sacramento
conference sessions covered such topics
as EV training, infrastructure development,
the role of government, and the need to
cut oil imports.
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John
Wallace, executive director of the
Ford Th!nk Group and EVAA co-Chairman
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John Wallace,
executive director of Ford Th!nk Group,
said at the ETIC 2001 closing plenary session
on Thursday that the public sector will
be critical to fuel cell success. Customer
pull is not sufficient, he said, as "there's
too much built-in resistance and inertia."
"It's
tough to displace comfortable technology,"
Wallace said, noting that the automobile
with its internal combustion engine was
the most successful commercial product of
the 20th century.
Government,
said Wallace, can help foster change by
carrying on demonstration and pilot programs,
helping develop infrastructure, and guiding
the intelligent and development of useful
codes and standards. Government can pay
for R&D, buy substantial numbers of
vehicles, and provide overall leadership,
Wallace said.
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Bill
Morrison Wins the GEM
At
the close of the ETIC 2001 gathering
there was an EVAA-sponsored giveaway
of a DaimlerChrysler GEM neighborhood
electric EV. DaimlerChrysler fuel
cell chief Ferdinand Panik did the
honors and the winner was Bill Morrison
of Livermore, CA-based Global Technologies
(seen here being congratulated by
EVAA director Kateri Callahan). Global
handles NEVs from Columbia ParCar,
leading to speculation that the bright
white-and-yellow GEM from EVAA might
be facing some special scrutiny, if
not outright dissection.
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Curtis
Instruments
The
Mount Kisco, NY-based purveyor of
electric vehicle electronics showed
a new line of AC controllers in Sacramento.
The company has traditionally provided
only DC hardware.
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