Copyright 2000 Gannett Company, Inc.
USA TODAY
August 11, 2000, Friday, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: MONEY; Pg. 8B
LENGTH: 258 words
HEADLINE:
GM, ExxonMobil develop fuel cells
BYLINE: David Kiley
DATELINE: TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.
BODY:
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- General Motors and
ExxonMobil announced
Thursday that they are developing a
gasoline-powered fuel cell
that will, by the end of the
decade, reduce the emissions of hundreds
of thousands of cars and trucks to
little more than heat and water.
The fuel cell requires a vehicle to take in
low-sulfur gasoline
at the pump. A small power plant under
the hood converts the gas
to cleaner-burning hydrogen, then vents carbon
dioxide and water
vapor.
GM and ExxonMobil believe the approach,
which makes a vehicle
operate twice as efficiently, will be accepted by
consumers and
make best use of today's gas stations.
"This
technology is a bridge between today's conventional
gasoline-powered
vehicles and where we believe we are
eventually headed, which
is hydrogen-powered vehicles that will be fueled by
hydrogen refilling
stations," says Larry Burns, vice president of research
and development
at GM.
The fuel cell shows how determined car
and oil companies are to
seize the public relations mantle of being the most
environmentally
conscious and driven in their industries. They want to head
off
potentially onerous regulation forcing them to abide by
tougher
fuel-economy laws set by Congress.
U.S. automakers
insist the best way to help the environment is
to make the big sport-utility
vehicles, which consumers are demanding,
cleaner -- not forcing them to take
cleaner vehicles that don't
meet their needs or wants. Fuel cells are
expected to be used
in cars and light trucks.
LOAD-DATE: August 11, 2000
