<http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060320/FREE/60317061/1003&\
refsect=>
or as a two-page PDF with photo:
<http://www.calcars.org/automotive-news-phev-20mar06>
We've come a long way their first story in March '05
<http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/message/9>

Automotive News / March 20, 2006 - 6:00 am
Bush electrifies plug-in fans
President scoops Johnson Controls' plans for batteries
Harry Stoffer

Online, story starts with large photo of Mercedes Sprinter with
lettering on car, "HYBRID SPRINTER" Plug-In Technology
[Caption:] In Germany, DaimlerChyrsler is building Sprinters that
feature plug-in electrical hybrid-drive systems.

WASHINGTON -- Here's a tip: Plug-in hybrids are not as far-fetched as
automakers have let on.

Who says? President Bush.

The president says Johnson Controls Inc. is developing batteries for
the next generation of hybrids -- ones that can be plugged in.

Regular hybrids combine electric motors and internal combustion
engines. Advocates of the technology say hybrids cut fuel use and
emissions and improve performance. A hybrid that could be plugged
into an outlet when it is not in use would have far greater range in
the more economical all-electric mode, proponents argue.

Bush's comment about hybrids did not get the coverage of his State of
the Union remarks in favor of ethanol fuel made from plants. But it
may be just as revolutionary for the former oilman.

Plug-in supporters "just fell off their chairs," says Felix Kramer,
founder of a group called the California Cars Initiative, which
promotes the technology.

Bush visited Johnson Controls' Milwaukee plant last month. The
supplier is a top producer of traditional 12-volt lead acid
batteries. The company is getting into the hybrid business, now
dominated by suppliers of nickel-metal hydride batteries, by making
lithium ion batteries.

Mike Andrew, Johnson Controls' chief of program management, says
lithium ion batteries promise to store more energy but weigh less
than nickel metal hydride batteries.

"Looking to the future, in terms of the broader market opportunity
for hybrids and plug-in hybrids, we feel that lithium ion technology
is the horse that we want to ride," Andrew told Automotive News.

Andrew declined to name a potential customer. "We are in discussions
with just about every major OEM out there," he adds.

As for plug-ins specifically, he says: "We see an opportunity there
for an extension of a product line."

[Sidebar:] Answers, please
These issues must be resolved before plug-in hybrids can become a
reasonable option.
# Will battery technology advance enough to make plug-ins desirable?
# Do consumers want vehicles that plug in?
# Can automakers and suppliers afford r&d for yet another technology option?
# Do larger battery packs create safety hazards?

Mixed signals
Automakers remain cautions about plug-ins, at least publicly. They
were burned by unhappy experiences with all-electric vehicles. Car
companies promote hybrids as vehicles that don't have to be plugged in.

American Honda Motor Co., which touts its environmental credentials,
believes plug-in technology faces big hurdles. The company is not
working on such a vehicle, spokesman Sage Marie says.

At the same time, DaimlerChrysler is producing a small test fleet of
Sprinter commercial vans with plug-in hybrid power.

Tax credits
The push for plug-ins comes from an unusual coalition of
environmental groups, electric utilities, national security
organizations and government officials.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, sponsored a law that provides consumer tax
credits for advanced-technology vehicles. He says a plug-in hybrid
with an internal combustion engine, running on U.S.-made ethanol, is
a potential "silver bullet" for the nation's energy problems.

You may e-mail Harry Stoffer at hstoffer@...


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Felix Kramer fkramer@...
Founder California Cars Initiative
http://www.calcars.org
http://www.calcars.org/news-index.html
http://www.hybridcars.com/blogs/power
http://www.eaa-phev.org
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