Printed 10/19/16 Page of

BY PETER LYON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER LYON

April 2004

At the long-lead test drive inside Toyota's secretive Higashifuji proving ground last year, several of the invited hacks were so impressed with the new Prius that they strongly suggested Toyota put its money where its mouth is and take the Prius racing.

The new Prius was faster, handled far better, and even looked sharper than the outgoing model. But would that be enough to meet Toyota's expectations of selling 300,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide by 2005? Hybrids still have the "slow, ugly, and boring" stigma, and Toyota needs to overcome that hurdle if the hybrid is going to be the hit the company thinks it should be.

So the top brass in Toyota City bit the bullet and built three Prius race cars. Japan's No. 1 automaker managed to produce these race-spec models in the space of just two months with the help of Toyota Racing Development, which runs all the company's Japanese race cars.

And the surprising thing is the Prius handles superbly on the track. Don't expect the batteries and the electric motor to last more than one lap, though. With the accelerator floored constantly, the battery soon runs out of puff, leaving the car to run on its 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. The power unit has incidentally been changed from an Atkinson unit with specially tuned valve timing and class-leading fuel efficiency to a less earth friendly but more conventional 1.5-liter engine, straight from the company's Echo small car, making 145 hp. On the track, the race version has 10-percent-poorer fuel consumption than the stock model. "This engine switch was necessary to achieve the results we wanted from the car. Otherwise," says chief engineer Masao Inoue, "we have done little else under the hood." The batteries are the same, and the THS II hybrid system is identical. Toyota considered upgrading the batteries and hybrid system to increase power output, but that would have meant totally recalibrating the THS II unit and battery pack, and the powers that be were not ready to do that just yet.

The difference is under the body. First, the spring rate was upped 15 percent, and stabilizers from the Euro-spec model were employed. The shock absorbers were stiffened, and the rear-control-arm-and-bushing geometry was modified for flatter cornering with less body roll. At the front end, the steering-knuckle joint was reinforced, and special high-performance Bridgestone Potenza RE050 rubber (195/55R-16), boasting a stickier compound than on the standard model, was fitted all around.

Inoue also knew he had to get the weight down. So his team stripped everything from inside the car—seats, carpet, power windows, air conditioning—and replaced that void with two racing seats and matching harnesses as well as a shiny six-point roll cage.

On the circuit, the suspension modifications, the tire grip, and the lighter curb weight are immediately obvious. The car turns in superbly with an even sharper steering action than that of the roadgoing model. The chassis rework has been done cleverly, translating into a well-balanced car that doesn't just turn tightly but has its rear end tuck in nicely to produce a welcome dose of neutrality in the corners. The outgoing model was infamous for its understeer and less-than-precise cornering. However, enter a corner too hot in the new race version, and the traction control cuts in quickly to let you know the front wheels are overcooking and losing precious grip. In fact, you soon find that your ability to corner fast and clean in the Prius race-spec car rests on not engaging the traction control. "This, unfortunately, at the moment cannot be switched off," says Inoue.

One of the main bones of contention with the original Prius was its regenerative brakes. On the new model, the spongy pedal feel and unsure grip-rigidity levels have been vastly improved. But there still remains a slight kick at the end of the pedal stroke, especially as you close in on a corner with that left pedal depressed. Brake response is excellent, but Inoue admits that "the brakes are an area that requires constant revision."

So, will Toyota introduce a new one-make Prius race series next year? The prospects are not good since the company has not noticed much public interest. If the series does come to fruition, the Prius could be the first "race car" ever that can be run in a short 15-to-20-minute sprint race, and then, perhaps an hour later, the same drivers could go onto the track again to do battle in an "eco run." Only this time they'd be fighting for fuel-consumption honors.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040308-596160,00.html

Where are you going? How will you get there? These pioneers are moving people and things in new ways By ILYA GARGER/TOKYO

Monday, Mar. 08, 2004 A Car Mother Nature Loves Shigeyuki Hori looks like your average Japanese salaryman, but at heart he's a speed demon. Once a week the Toyota engineer heads to the company test track at the base of Mount Fuji to try out new models. There he dons a crash helmet, and in a one-on-one communion between car and creator, he barrels his work-in-progress around a track at upwards of 120 m.p.h. The 51-year-old admits he's addicted to the speed rush. "When I'm out there on the track, I'm fearless," he says. Fearlessness has been a useful asset for Hori. As executive chief engineer responsible for the gas-electric hybrid Prius, he spent years battling the idea that environmentally friendly cars would never appeal to consumers or make a profit. Today he stands proudly on the wreckage of that conventional wisdom, having helped create the first eco-car to decisively leave the drawing board and storm the streets of suburbia. More than 110,000 units have been sold worldwide since the first-generation Prius was introduced in Japan in 1997. "Our challenge," he says, "was to achieve our environmental goals without compromising performance and design."

The redesigned 2004 Prius, which draws power from a gasoline engine and an electric motor to deliver 60 m.p.g. on city roads, represents the realization of that objective. Since its debut last year, the car has been the toast of the automotive world. Despite its pedestrian list price of about $20,000, the snub-nosed hatchback is a badge of celebrity chic: Cameron Diaz and Harrison Ford took Priuses to last year's Oscars.

But in the vast, utilitarian office where Hori and his team of engineers are forging the next-generation eco-car, there's little in the way of glamour. Here, innovation comes through team effort, and individual stars are hard to pinpoint. But Hori is no mere taskmaster. "He gives us the freedom to pursue our own ideas," says assistant manager Yohichi Sugiura, an engine expert.

Right now, Hori and his team are focused on the future. "The original Prius proved that hybrid cars were technically feasible. The new model has shown that it can be attractive to consumers. The third generation has to be even more powerful and more fuel efficient," says Hori. His vision for Toyota's eco-friendly autos goes beyond the Prius line. "The next step is to apply hybrid technology to other models and to reduce its price," he says. After that, he has his sights on dispensing with CO2-belching gasoline engines entirely: "Ultimately, the future is in electric power." That might sound like an eco-platitude, but if someone is going to bring an electric car to your driveway, there's a good chance that Hori will be the one to do it.

— With reporting by Michiko Toyama/Toyota City

http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=communique&newsid=5172

What Do Hollywood Celebs Drive?

Source: National Post/Canada

[Mar 09, 2004]

Celebrities are now divided into two camps: those who drive gas-guzzling Hummers and those sensitive souls who drive Earth-friendly hybrids. But who's who might surprise you

These days, a star's choice of vehicle speaks volumes not only about their placement in the Hollywood machine but of their politics, rank in the star system and age.

The current manifestation of the you-are-what-you-drive debate comes in the Hummer-hybrid divide, as detailed in last Sunday's New York Times.

A growing legion of environmentally friendly and often sanctimonious celebrities have adopted gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius as their ecological cause du jour and are pressuring their ostentatious SUV-driving colleagues to trade in their gas guzzlers. Hummers, which until the last decade were exclusively used by military personnel, are among the least fuel-efficient cars on the road, getting an average of 13 miles to the gallon as compared to the Prius's 50 plus. As the eloquent Jack Black succinctly put it in a recent off-the-cuff remark at the Prius-packed Academy Awards: "If you didn't come to the Oscars in a hybrid, you're a jerk."

The Times notes that celebrities who drive Hummers (in either the H1 or H2 variations) can usually be categorized as new money, whereas Prius owners tend to be more firmly entrenched in the Hollywood establishment.

But is it as easy as that? In this automotive version of the "Whose breasts are real" game, see if you can distinguish the eco-friendly hybrid owners from the road-hogging Hummer drivers.

THE QUIZ [with answers]

1. Bill Maher -- Drives a Prius

2. 50 Cents -- Drives a Hummer

3. Billy Joel -- Drives a Prius

4. Leonardo DiCaprio -- Drives a Prius

5. Cameron Diaz -- Drives a Prius

6. Hugh Hefner -- Drives a Hummer

7. Julia Louis-Dreyfus -- Drives a Prius

8. James Cameron -- Drives a Hummer

9. Adrien Brody -- Drives a Hummer

10. Karl Lagerfeld -- Drives a Hummer

11. Shaquille O'Neal -- Drives a Hummer

12. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- Drives a Hummer

13. David Duchovny -- Drives a Prius

14. Sting -- Drives a Prius

15. Tom Hanks -- Drives a Prius

16. Harrison Ford -- Drives a Prius

17. Rob Reiner -- Drives a Prius

18. Russell Crowe -- Drives a Hummer

19. Meryl Streep -- Drives a Prius

20. Tim Robbins -- Drives a Prius

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-0403240046mar24,1,584060.story?coll=chi-leisuretempo-hed

Celebrities drive cultural issues

By Patrick Goldstein

Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times

March 24, 2004

HOLLYWOOD -- Laurie David adores her husband, but she really loves her Toyota Prius. So she's always encouraging Larry David to make room in his "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episodes for a glamorous shot of the 45-miles-per-gallon hybrid car. In a recent episode of the show, the prickly comic is in his Prius when he sees a guy driving another one of the hot new cars, which combine a gas engine with a zero-emission electric motor. David gives the man a friendly wave, as if greeting a long-lost frat brother. His pal Jeff asks why he's waving. As Laurie recalls, David explains: "Oh, Prius drivers are a friendly lot. It's like we're in a club together."

Of course, it being "Curb Your Enthusiasm," the guy doesn't wave back, David gets angry, races off after him and, well, runs over a dog.

Still, a bigger point has been made. If someone like Larry David, who has enough "Seinfeld" riches to buy a fleet of Escalades or Porsches, is driving a $25,000 Prius in a TV series based on his own life, then hybrid cars must be pretty cool.

The 2004 Prius recently was named Motor Trend's car of the year. But it has received even better reviews from the entertainment community.

With everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Cameron Diaz to Warners chief Alan Horn driving one, the Prius has almost as much showbiz cred as cabala strings or Ugg boots.

At the Academy Awards, Global Green USA persuaded a host of stars, including best supporting actor winner Tim Robbins, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Robin Williams, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Marcia Gay Harden and Sting, to take a Prius instead of a limo. Best actress winner Charlize Theron went to Oscar parties in a $3-million Toyota fuel-cell hybrid that creates electricity from a tank of hydrogen.

Of course, a lot of civilians have embraced the Prius too. Like me. For months, people have been honking their horns or stopping at red lights to compare mileage results.

Ferrell, who drives a Prius in real life as well as in "Kicking & Screaming," a film he's shooting, says, "Other Prius drivers wave at me all the time, just because we all love our car -- they have no idea who I am."

Still, I'd be lying if I said I bought the Prius of my own accord. Hollywood made me do it. For years, I'd been driving a Ford Explorer with a "Stop global warming" sticker on the bumper. Then I heard about the Detroit Project, a crafty band of showbiz eco-activists who spoofed the Bush administration's "drug use equals terrorism" ad campaign last year with a series of TV spots suggesting that people who drive gas guzzling SUVs are supporting terrorism themselves.

A clear message

After all the newspaper commentaries and news stories I'd digested on the subject, I finally got the message. If I really cared about the environment, what was I doing driving an SUV that got 15 miles to a gallon? When I went to interview the project organizers, who included Laurie David, columnist Arianna Huffington and film producer Lawrence Bender, I stashed my Explorer blocks away, petrified that they'd catch sight of my guzzler. I bought a Prius last fall. Demand is so heavy that Gary Eckhaus, my salesman, says they have a four-month waiting list.

The showbiz community hasn't helped only in promoting hybrids, they've been invaluable supporters of the environment movement. "I can't tell you how many meetings I've gone to where one of the first questions asked is:

How can we get a celebrity to help get the attention of the media or an elected official?"' says Global Green chief Matt Petersen. "America is obsessed with celebrity, so when a celebrity makes an implicit political statement with a lifestyle choice, like driving a hybrid, it speaks to a lot of people."

When Global Green held a news conference in 2000 with DiCaprio, who urged President Bush to attend the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, DiCaprio's presence had such an impact that, according to Petersen, "the White House press office had to put out a statement saying,

Well, Leonardo isn't going either, is he?"' Politics is indelibly shaped by pop culture. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn't hold news conferences, he makes policy pronouncements on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." A recent Pew Research Center study found that Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" often has more 18- to 34-year-old male viewers than any network news broadcast.

There are still a few media scolds, including Bill O'Reilly, who dismiss actors as clueless dilettantes. But most political activists are eager to recruit celebrities to their causes. As the veteran record executive and political activist Danny Goldberg points out in his new book, "Dispatches From the Culture Wars: How the Left Lost Teen Spirit," the right has done a better job than the left of using showbiz values to reach the biggest audience.

"From the start, Rush Limbaugh was an entertainer -- for years he'd use Chrissie Hynde's

Back to Ohio' to open his show," Goldberg says.

Pervasive influence

"Even at a serious occasion, like the State of the Union address, Ronald Reagan quoted from

Back to the Future.' When you watch cable news now, you see this huge contingent of tall, attractive blonds, from Ann Coulter to Laura Ingraham, getting the message of the right across." Pop culture's pervasive influence will get a critical test on May 28, when 20th Century Fox launches its summer thriller "The Day After Tomorrow." The film, directed by Roland Emmerich, who made "Independence Day," portrays the world on the brink of a global-warming disaster. After a sudden climatic shift, Tokyo is buffeted by hail the size of grapefruit while New York City is buried under a sheet of ice.

Coming at a pivotal juncture in the environmental movement's battle against the Bush administration's efforts to roll back key environmental laws, the movie has set off an intriguing tug of war. On one side is Fox, which has kept environmental groups at arm's length, eager to present the film as an escapist thrill ride. On the other side are eco-activists who see the film as a golden opportunity to publicize global warming -- so much so that the Natural Resources Defense Council recently had "Tomorrow" co-star Jake Gyllenhaal in its offices for a briefing so he'd be prepared to discuss the issue on the "Access Hollywood" circuit. The film itself is so cautiously apolitical that for all its lengthy scientific explanations about climatic change, it never mentions that global warming is caused by human activity.

Fast action

Not that it matters. As we've seen with "The Passion of the Christ," when a film dramatizes a red-meat issue, be it the death of Jesus or climatic disaster, the subject reverberates through the media food chain with frightening velocity.

As critic John Powers recently observed, people today "address huge social issues not on news shows, op-ed pages or the campaign trail, but through popular culture." Sight unseen, "Tomorrow" has been sneered at by the National Review, applauded by Huffington. Can Hannity & Colmes be far behind?

Such is the clout of pop culture -- everyone is eager to harness a hit movie to their cause and ride the draft of a box-office hit's media magnetism.

The U.S. Department of Defense recently released a report suggesting that the prospect of global warming poses a greater danger to the planet than international terrorism, but I'm betting a summer popcorn movie will attract more media sizzle than any Pentagon doomsday scenario.

As "Tomorrow" producer Mark Gordon put it: "Even if the movie is just a moderate success, it will do more to provoke people's thoughts about how we're destroying the planet than every op-ed article and National Geographic special you've ever seen, times a thousand." Global warming -- get ready for your close-up.

From: felix@nlightning.com

Subject: LA Times: Lots of Hot Air About Hydrogen

Date: March 28, 2004 7:48:10 AM PST

To: felixkramer@mac.com

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-op-romm28mar28,1,6367664.story

ENVIRONMENT

Lots of Hot Air About Hydrogen

The hybrids on the road are low-emission, so why flirt with a dirtier, exotic process?

By Joseph J. Romm

March 28, 2004

WASHINGTON - Earlier this month, the South Coast Air Quality Management District approved a $4-million program to put a mustache on the Mona Lisa - at least that's how it seems to me. What the agency actually did was approve spending millions to take 35 or so of the greenest, most energy-efficient sedans ever made - the hybrid gasoline-electric Toyota Prius - and turn them all into dirty energy guzzlers.

It is going to achieve this giant leap backward by converting the hybrids to run on hydrogen, the most overhyped alternative fuel since methyl tertiary-butyl ether, or MTBE.

Hybrids are already extremely efficient. The Prius, for example, generates only about 210 grams of carbon dioxide - the principal heat-trapping gas that causes global warming - per mile. The car is also a partial zero-emission vehicle, which means that when it uses California's low-sulfur gasoline, it produces very little of the smog-forming pollutants, like nitrogen oxides.

Hydrogen is not a primary fuel, like oil, that we can drill for. It is bound up tightly in molecules of water, or hydrocarbons like natural gas. A great deal of energy must be used to unbind it - something the AQMD plans to do by electrolyzing water into its constituents: hydrogen and oxygen. And because the resulting hydrogen is a gas, additional energy must be used to compress it to very high pressures to put it in the tank of your car.

With all the energy needed to create and compress that hydrogen - even with the relatively clean electric grid of California - a Prius running on hydrogen would result in twice as much greenhouse gas emissions per mile as an unmodified car. It would result in more than four times as much nitrogen oxides per mile.

I own a Prius, so that's the hybrid I am most familiar with. But Honda also makes a hybrid vehicle, and thanks to California's leadership in vehicle emissions regulations, many other car companies plan to introduce them soon. These cars will get even greener over time as technology improves.

Sadly, two of the features I love most about my car would be wiped out by the AQMD's expensive "upgrade." First, the hybrid has cut my annual fuel bill by half. Hydrogen is so expensive to make that even with California's high gasoline prices, the hydrogen hybrid will have more than four times the annual fuel bill of a gasoline hybrid. Second, my car can go twice as far on a tank of gas as my old Saturn, so I have to make those unpleasant trips to the gas station only half as often. The hydrogen hybrid would have less than half the range of my car. With hydrogen fueling stations so scarce, hydrogen hybrid drivers will constantly be scampering back to the fueling stations before the tanks get too low.

Why is the AQMD spending millions of dollars to increase pollution and destroy all the desirable features of one of the greenest, most efficient cars ever made? It has bought into the hype about hydrogen, the myth that this miracle fuel will somehow solve all of our energy and environmental problems.

When I was helping to oversee clean-energy programs at the U.S. Department of Energy in the mid-1990s, I too was intrigued by hydrogen, mainly because of recent advances in fuel cells. Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that take in hydrogen and oxygen and generate electricity and heat with high efficiency. The only "emission" is water. They have been an elusive technological goal since the first fuel cell was invented in 1839. During the 1990s, we increased funding for hydrogen tenfold and for transportation fuel cells threefold.

I began to change my mind about hydrogen while researching a book over the last 12 months. After speaking to dozens of experts and reviewing the extensive literature, I came to realize that hydrogen cars still needed several major breakthroughs and a clean-energy revolution to be both practical and desirable.

A recent Energy Department report noted that transportation fuel cells were 100 times more expensive than internal combustion engines. Historically, even the most aggressively promoted energy technologies, such as wind and solar power, have taken 20 years just to see a tenfold decline in prices.

The most mature onboard hydrogen storage systems - using ultrahigh pressure - contain 10 times less energy per unit volume than gasoline, in addition to requiring a significant amount of compression energy. A National Academy of Sciences panel concluded in February that such storage had "little promise of long-term practicality for light-duty vehicles" and urged the Department of Energy to halt research in this area. Yet this kind of storage is precisely what the AQMD plans to put in its hydrogen hybrids.

Another problem with hydrogen is in how it is made. Although people seem to view hydrogen as a pollution-free elixir, hydrogen is just an energy carrier, like electricity. And, like electricity, it is no cleaner than the fuels used to make it. For the next several decades, the National Academy panel concluded, "it is highly likely that fossil fuels will be the principal sources of hydrogen." Making hydrogen from fossil fuels won't solve our major environmental problems.

It's possible, of course, to make hydrogen with renewable electricity, such as solar and wind power, but that is a lousy use for renewables, since they can directly displace more than four times as much carbon dioxide from coal power compared with using that renewable power to make hydrogen for vehicles. And these savings can all be achieved without spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a new hydrogen infrastructure and hydrogen vehicles.

As one 2002 British study concluded, "Until there is a surplus of renewable electricity, it is not beneficial in terms of carbon reduction to use renewable electricity to produce hydrogen - for use in vehicles, or elsewhere." That surplus is, sadly, a long way off, given that Congress hasn't been willing to pass legislation requiring that even 10% of U.S. electricity in 2020 be from renewables like wind and solar.

Finally, delivering renewable hydrogen to a car in usable form is prohibitively expensive today - equal to gasoline at $7 to $10 a gallon - and likely to remain so for decades in the absence of major technology advances.

For at least several decades, hydrogen cars are exceedingly unlikely to be a cost-effective solution for global warming. Until we achieve major breakthroughs in vehicle technology, hydrogen storage, hydrogen infrastructure and renewable hydrogen production, hydrogen cars will remain inferior to the best hybrids in cost, range, annual fueling bill, convenience, roominess, safety and greenhouse gas emissions.

While we wait, California should continue to lead the way in building renewable-power generation and in advancing the most environmentally responsible cars in the world - hybrid partial zero-emission vehicles. _______

Joseph Romm is a former acting assistant secretary of Energy and author of the book "The Hype About Hydrogen: Fact and Fiction in the Race to Save the Climate."

http://www.aqmd.gov/news1/2004/response_to_joseph_romm.html

This page updated: March 31, 2004

March 30, 2004

The following is the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s response to Joseph Romm’s op-ed article in Los Angeles Times on March 28, 2004.

 Mr. Romm’s editorial on the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) project to produce 35 hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEs) misses AQMD’s main objectives and mischaracterizes the intent of the project.

The AQMD’s Challenge

The South Coast Air Basin consists of the majority of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties, covering more than 11,000 square miles.  Although the AQMD regulates stationary sources, like power plants and refineries, about 80 percent of smog-forming emissions come from mobile sources.  Approximately 10 million gasoline vehicles and a quarter million diesel vehicles travel in the Basin, resulting in the worst air quality in the nation.  In fact, the South Coast Air Basin is the only area in the United States designated as “extreme” in terms of air quality.

In addition, the California Air Resources Board has identified that diesel emissions are toxic.  A landmark AQMD study showed that about 70 percent of airborne cancer risk is due to diesel emissions, creating even more urgency to reduce mobile emissions for the 16 million residents in the Basin.  Although great strides have been made to reduce pollution in the region over the last 20 years, increases in population, vehicle miles traveled, sport utility vehicle sales, along with atmospheric conditions, have actually caused ozone levels to increase in the last two years.  Last July, the region even experienced its first Stage 1 ozone episode in five years.  Since the AQMD is the government agency mandated by the federal Clean Air Act to bring the region into compliance with health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standards in just six years, urgent action is needed on many fronts. 

Fuel Cell Vehicles

In order to achieve our air quality goals, more near-zero and zero-emission vehicles are indeed needed.  Hybrid-electric vehicles truly have near-zero emissions but the ultimate technology needed is fuel cell vehicles, since they offer high fuel efficiencies and do not emit any smog-forming pollutants.  These vehicles are being researched and demonstrated by all the major automobile manufacturers including GM, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai and Volkswagen, through a public-private consortium called the California Fuel Cell Partnership.  In the past three years, some of these auto makers have already made their fourth- and fifth-generation fuel cell vehicles available for demonstrations in California.  In the next three to four years, these auto makers, working with fuel providers, will establish a number of small vehicle fleets to gain real-world experience with both the vehicles and the hydrogen infrastructure technologies for production and dispensing.  These activities indicate that the debate is not “if” these vehicles will be commercially available but “when”.  In fact, GM has already publicly indicated they will have fuel cell vehicle models commercially available for consumers by 2010.

The AQMD is poised to take advantage of this extremely clean technology by installing small- capacity hydrogen fueling stations in strategic locations throughout the region, countering the “chicken-or-the-egg” dilemma.  The development of these fueling stations sends a strong message to automobile manufacturers that the infrastructure will be in place for fuel cell vehicle demonstrations.

Hydrogen-Powered Internal-Combustion Engine (ICE) Vehicles

While the automobile manufacturers work to reduce the costs, improve the durability, and gain experience with fuel cells, the AQMD is doing similar research and development with the hydrogen refueling technologies.  The hydrogen ICE vehicle project will convert 35 Toyota Prius hybrids to run on hydrogen instead of gasoline to gain real-world experience with a hydrogen fleet, compare different fueling strategies and hydrogen production methods, as well as educate the public on this relatively new alternative vehicle fuel.  The AQMD is funding $2 million toward a total project cost of more than $4 million, with Quantum, the vehicle conversion company, five local cities, and possibly the U.S. Department of Defense paying the balance of the cost.  This cost-shared approach allows the AQMD to leverage its dollars to match industry efforts in order to maximize the resources for technology advancement.

The Toyota Prius was selected due to its advanced hybrid technology, allowing a more “transparent” experience for the driver, which is critical for public acceptance of hydrogen as a fuel.  The hydrogen ICEs will demonstrate two different fuel storage strategies, using compressed hydrogen as well as metal hydrides.  The latter will provide double the fuel storage and range, again adding to public acceptance and exposure to new technologies while simultaneously improving the air quality.

Counter to Mr. Romm’s comments, these vehicles will not be dirtier than the current Prius since they will meet the same nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission standards as the Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV), one of cleanest new car standards in the world.  In addition, the hydrogen-powered Priuses will have zero carbon monoxide and evaporative hydrocarbon emissions.  Taken as a whole, hydrogen ICEs will reduce smog-forming pollutants compared to conventional vehicles.

Hydrogen will be provided for these vehicles through a variety of methods, but mostly through electrolysis, which uses electricity and water.  If the electricity is generated from renewable power sources, e.g. wind and solar, then there are no pollutant emissions.  Mr. Romm correctly identifies that this is an energy-intensive and expensive strategy today.  However, if petroleum and natural gas prices continue to rise, and their reserves continue to decline, the relative costs comparison will continue to improve.  Our strategy is to demonstrate various electrolysis products to advance the technology, improve competition, gain experience, and reduce the costs to accelerate commercialization.

And although this is a research and demonstration project, the AQMD’s desire is that these types of vehicles will be widely commercialized within the next decade to induce the growth of hydrogen refueling stations while fuel cell vehicles come on line.  The automakers are spending billions of dollars on advancing fuel cell vehicle technologies.  The AQMD views the hydrogen ICE vehicles as a bridging technology that will provide an incentive to develop hydrogen storage and fueling technologies.  Mazda, Ford, and BMW are also demonstrating hydrogen ICEs as a bridging technology to fuel cell vehicles

The Path Forward

The AQMD has limited time and resources to achieve the emissions reductions needed to bring the region into compliance with federal air quality standards by 2010.  In addition, maintaining the air quality goals beyond 2010 will be a tremendous challenge due to the projected increases in population, vehicles, and miles traveled.  The three main tools at AQMD’s disposal to reduce vehicle emissions are regulations, incentives, and technology advancement.  On the regulatory front, the AQMD has been authorized by the state to require fleets to purchase the cleanest available technology when replacing a vehicle.  This has historically applied to natural gas vehicles for school and transit buses, waste haulers, street sweepers, taxicabs, and other public fleets.  Since the rules rely on fleet turnover, the reductions realized are mid-term to long-term as vehicles are replaced.  Despite their effectiveness, these AQMD “Fleet Rules” are being challenged by engine manufacturers and the oil industry as a de facto tailpipe standard, which is a right reserved by the federal government.  The U.S. Supreme Court has heard arguments and will decide this spring if the AQMD can retain this valuable air quality strategy. 

The second tool available to the AQMD is the incentive programs, designed to provide funding to offset the typically higher prices associated with alternative vehicles and fuels.  A good example of this type of mechanism is the Carl Moyer Incentive Program.  For the past several years, the state of California has provided funding administered by the AQMD to pay the differential amount for the purchase and operation of cleaner heavy-duty vehicles and off-road equipment.  To date, the AQMD has used $55 million in state funding to replace 2,600 vehicles and engines, reducing NOx emissions by over 2,400 tons per year.  Unfortunately, the Carl Moyer state funding mechanism will expire this year.  The AQMD is working closely with businesses and environmental interests to establish a long term funding mechanism for the Carl Moyer Program through state legislation.

Another incentive program funded solely by the AQMD has helped local school districts purchase 300 clean fuel or low emission school buses and install particulate traps on 1,300 school buses.  This program, however, is dependent on available funds through the AQMD’s enforcement activities and so is subject to annual budget priorities.

The third AQMD tool is funding of advanced, clean air technology research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects.  The hydrogen ICE project is one of many AQMD efforts to help advance pre-commercial technologies.  The AQMD has a long legacy of such assistance; for example, we funded the development of the first fuel cell bus and the first commercial stationary fuel cell power plant in the early 1990s.  These efforts have not occurred because we have “bought into the hype about hydrogen,” as alleged by Mr. Romm, but rather to fulfill the need for clean mobile and stationary technologies.

The AQMD’s technology advancement projects focus on real-world demonstrations of clean air technologies with the potential for commercialization.  Because these projects are RD&D in nature, the associated project costs should not be compared to commercially available technologies.  The AQMD experienced similar negative comments and confusion over the development of natural gas engines, electric vehicle drive trains and advanced batteries, and advanced after-treatment development.  However, our funding of these technologies has helped drive the market by improving and optimizing the technology, increasing manufacturer competition, and reducing costs of the eventual commercial products. 

Although the hydrogen projects have garnered much of the attention lately, the AQMD has a balanced portfolio of technologies with short-term and long-term potential emissions payoffs.  The AQMD has major on-going RD&D projects in all clean air technology areas, including advanced engine development, engine after-control, electric hybrid vehicles, fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen infrastructure, VOC and toxic emission reduction, stationary power combustion processes, and clean fuel alternatives.

For example in the passenger vehicle area, the AQMD is funding the development of a plug-in hybrid vehicle with DaimlerChrysler, which was selected as “having the greatest potential to transform an industry” by IEEE for 2003.  The “plug-in” attribute allows this vehicle to travel short distances on battery power only, like an electric vehicle, but switches to a small gasoline ICE engine for higher power and greater distances much like the current hybrid cars.  The benefits can be realized in the very near-term for this near-zero emission vehicle with great potential for branching out to other applications.  Longer-term projects include demonstration of fuel cell vehicles, on which the AQMD is working with several manufacturers.

No Hype

The AQMD’s legal responsibility is to reduce so-called criteria pollutants which form smog in the South Coast Basin.  If the agency can also reduce global warming gases such as carbon dioxide, all the better.  The hydrogen vehicles offer the promise to do both, and we would be remiss not to research this opportunity.  This is the first time in history that the federal government, the major automobile manufacturers, the state government, and the local air agency have combined interests for the production of a clean fuel and zero-emission vehicle.  We agree with Mr. Romm that California should continue “advancing the most environmentally responsible cars in the world — hybrid partial zero-emission vehicles.”  And in fact, that is exactly what the hydrogen ICE vehicle project does. 

Business Editors/Environment Writers SACRAMENTO, Calif.-- (BUSINESS WIRE)--March 30, 2004--

Innovative Alliance Leads to Low-Emission, High-Efficiency Vehicle Designed to Dramatically Reduce Emissions, Save Fuel

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX), has placed into service the first of its new, low-emission, hybrid electric powered delivery vehicles in concert with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, Environmental Defense and Eaton Corporation (NYSE:ETN).

The official roll out took place at a state capitol ceremony today attended by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The FedEx OptiFleet E700 hybrid electric vehicle will decrease particulate emissions by 90 percent, reduce smog-causing emissions by 75 percent and travel 50 percent farther on a gallon of fuel, reducing fuel costs by one-third.

Two FedEx OptiFleet E700 hybrid electric vehicles have been tested in Sacramento since late February following an agreement with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (AQMD) to demonstrate the commercial viability of the lower-emission powertrain in heavy-duty vehicles. The project was made possible in part by a grant provided by the AQMD.

FedEx Express will place 18 additional hybrid electric diesel delivery trucks into service in selected cities throughout 2004. New York City, Houston, Washington, D.C., Denver and several other cities are possible locations for future rollouts of the hybrid electric trucks. These hybrid electric vehicles will endure real-world FedEx operating conditions during 2004 to verify and prove their viability in commercial applications.

"FedEx Express is proud to be the first company to make a long- term market commitment to develop and utilize hybrid electric delivery trucks," said David J. Bronczek, president, FedEx Express. "FedEx Express recognizes effective environmental management as a global corporate priority, and is actively involved in environmental innovations and technologies. Utilizing innovative technologies such as our hybrid electric truck, California is yet again leading the nation in protecting the environment," Bronczek said.

"We are proud to work with FedEx Express, Environmental Defense and Eaton in bringing this advanced heavy-duty hybrid technology to Sacramento," said Norm Covell, Sacramento's Air Pollution Control Officer. "These clean, efficient vehicles are just another example of how Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District aims to deliver healthier air to our community. We want to thank the members of this project for working to make this technology commercially available so that the significant air quality and energy efficiency improvements can benefit the broadest possible market applications."

FedEx Express also welcomed the opportunity to work with Environmental Defense, an organization recognized for its long history of working with industry leaders to leverage their purchasing power to create real environmental benefits that protect the bottom line.

"Four years ago Environmental Defense was looking for an innovative company to help us revolutionize truck technology in the U.S. and FedEx Express accepted that challenge," said Fred Krupp, president, Environmental Defense. "Today, these two trucks put Sacramento on the leading edge of the effort for cleaner air and better mileage. Environmental Defense now challenges other companies to increase their fleet's contribution to reduced air pollution, oil dependency and climate change impacts."

Cleveland, Ohio-based Eaton Corporation, one of the world's most recognized industrial manufacturers, produced the hybrid electric powertrain for the vehicle.

"Eaton is pleased to make this innovative, environmentally advanced technology available to FedEx Express and Environmental Defense for this ground-breaking project," said Jim Sweetnam, senior vice president and group executive, Eaton Corporation, Truck Group. "Our team will continue to work closely with FedEx Express and Environmental Defense in Sacramento and additional markets as we take this innovative project to the next level."

Power of Innovation Produces New Vehicle

FedEx Express and Environmental Defense began working together in 2000 to create a delivery truck that would dramatically decrease emissions and fuel use. Through a competitive process, Eaton Corporation was selected from more than 20 manufacturers who expressed interest in creating a cleaner vehicle using a variety of technologies. Since the beginning of the project, progress toward goals has been assessed against the 1999 FedEx Express W700 standard delivery vehicle, which represents the most common model in the FedEx Express fleet.

Eaton's Innovative Technology Produces Hybrid Electric Powertrain

Eaton's hybrid electric powertrain effectively combines a diesel engine and electric motor to drive the vehicle. A computer determines the most efficient combination, depending on current operating conditions and driver demand. A four-cylinder engine replaces the six- cylinder version currently used in the FedEx Express W700 delivery vehicle. The engine size is reduced because of the added power provided by the electric motor. A particulate trap has been added to the truck to further reduce emissions.

Lithium-ion batteries capture and store energy during the "regenerative braking" phase of the vehicle's operation, providing a source of stored electric power for the motor during future acceleration. Therefore, all electrical charging of the battery is provided by the hybrid electric powertrain, and no external electrical infrastructure, such as a power cord or electrical outlet, is needed. This balance between conventional and electric technology is an innovative method to improve environmental performance and decrease fuel use while eliminating the need for high electrical-demand infrastructure costs. The hybrid electric truck's operating characteristics will remain virtually unchanged from that of a conventionally powered FedEx Express vehicle.

Eaton's hybrid electric powertrain has been placed in the standard white FedEx Express W700 delivery truck, which utilizes a Freightliner chassis. The hybrid electric delivery vehicle will be differentiated from the standard FedEx Express delivery vehicle only by an OptiFleet brand decal on the sides and rear of the vehicle. The hybrid electric E700 has a gross vehicle weight of approximately 16,000 lbs. and a cargo capacity of approximately 670 cubic feet.

An online poster involved with the program notes:

I have been working to get these trucks here for a long time, and they are finally delivered. We are getting 2 diesel-hybrid FedEx delivery trucks for Sacramento, CA. They use a Mercedes-Benz diesel engine (170 HP) + an Eaton 44kW parallel motor to drive a 6 speed automated manual transmission. 50% better fuel economy, 75% less smog, and 90% less smoke. The hybrid FedEx trucks look just like the rest, except for a small blue decal behind the driver's door. There are also several smaller logos on the rear cargo door.

From: felix@nlightning.com

Subject: Car & Driver story on Prius Race Car

Date: March 5, 2004 2:35:42 PM PST

To: tech

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=27&article_id=7902&page_number=1

BY PETER LYON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER LYON

April 2004 Car and Driver

At the long-lead test drive inside Toyota's secretive Higashifuji proving ground last year, several of the invited hacks were so impressed with the new Prius that they strongly suggested Toyota put its money where its mouth is and take the Prius racing.

The new Prius was faster, handled far better, and even looked sharper than the outgoing model. But would that be enough to meet Toyota's expectations of selling 300,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide by 2005? Hybrids still have the "slow, ugly, and boring" stigma, and Toyota needs to overcome that hurdle if the hybrid is going to be the hit the company thinks it should be.

So the top brass in Toyota City bit the bullet and built three Prius race cars. Japan's No. 1 automaker managed to produce these race-spec models in the space of just two months with the help of Toyota Racing Development, which runs all the company's Japanese race cars.

And the surprising thing is the Prius handles superbly on the track. Don't expect the batteries and the electric motor to last more than one lap, though. With the accelerator floored constantly, the battery soon runs out of puff, leaving the car to run on its 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. The power unit has incidentally been changed from an Atkinson unit with specially tuned valve timing and class-leading fuel efficiency to a less earth friendly but more conventional 1.5-liter engine, straight from the company's Echo small car, making 145 hp. On the track, the race version has 10-percent-poorer fuel consumption than the stock model. "This engine switch was necessary to achieve the results we wanted from the car. Otherwise," says chief engineer Masao Inoue, "we have done little else under the hood." The batteries are the same, and the THS II hybrid system is identical. Toyota considered upgrading the batteries and hybrid system to increase power output, but that would have meant totally recalibrating the THS II unit and battery pack, and the powers that be were not ready to do that just yet.

The difference is under the body. First, the spring rate was upped 15 percent, and stabilizers from the Euro-spec model were employed. The shock absorbers were stiffened, and the rear-control-arm-and-bushing geometry was modified for flatter cornering with less body roll. At the front end, the steering-knuckle joint was reinforced, and special high-performance Bridgestone Potenza RE050 rubber (195/55R-16), boasting a stickier compound than on the standard model, was fitted all around.

Inoue also knew he had to get the weight down. So his team stripped everything from inside the car—seats, carpet, power windows, air conditioning—and replaced that void with two racing seats and matching harnesses as well as a shiny six-point roll cage.

On the circuit, the suspension modifications, the tire grip, and the lighter curb weight are immediately obvious. The car turns in superbly with an even sharper steering action than that of the roadgoing model. The chassis rework has been done cleverly, translating into a well-balanced car that doesn't just turn tightly but has its rear end tuck in nicely to produce a welcome dose of neutrality in the corners. The outgoing model was infamous for its understeer and less-than-precise cornering. However, enter a corner too hot in the new race version, and the traction control cuts in quickly to let you know the front wheels are overcooking and losing precious grip. In fact, you soon find that your ability to corner fast and clean in the Prius race-spec car rests on not engaging the traction control. "This, unfortunately, at the moment cannot be switched off," says Inoue.

One of the main bones of contention with the original Prius was its regenerative brakes. On the new model, the spongy pedal feel and unsure grip-rigidity levels have been vastly improved. But there still remains a slight kick at the end of the pedal stroke, especially as you close in on a corner with that left pedal depressed. Brake response is excellent, but Inoue admits that "the brakes are an area that requires constant revision."

So, will Toyota introduce a new one-make Prius race series next year? The prospects are not good since the company has not noticed much public interest. If the series does come to fruition, the Prius could be the first "race car" ever that can be run in a short 15-to-20-minute sprint race, and then, perhaps an hour later, the same drivers could go onto the track again to do battle in an "eco run." Only this time they'd be fighting for fuel-consumption honors.