RECENT ARTICLES ABOUT ELECTRIC VEIIICLES

Fuel cell miracles and urban sprawle Column by Brock Yates in August Car & Driver, Page 30. There are a number of auto-related issues dealing with new powerplants, SUV eniission regulations, ozone, and Al Gore's newly-identified scourge- urban sprawl. DaimerChrysler and Ford were first into the headlines with articles about their fi~el cell cars.

There will be a test fleet of 45 cars in the Los Angeles basin powered by fi~el cells. He notes that previous tests involving turbine engines, the Wankel rotary, and electric motors never went far beyond the press releases, Fuel cells may be the next abortion.

A filel cell powerplant costs $ 40001kw compared with the $ 30 per kw for an IC engine. The cells require expensive, exotic materials such as titanium, platinum, and complex alloys. They also require an electric motor and complicated management system. He predicts a retail price equivalent to the "GDP of a banana republic" and a repeat of GM's EVi test experience.

Hydrogen, cleanest of all no-pollution myths. Column by Patrick Bedard in August Car & Driver, Page 32. Hydrogen is odorless, colorless, and takes up 14 times the volume as a pound of air. It is a huge tilel requiring big tanks or cryogenic storage at ininus 453 F. Getting hydrogen requires busting up a water molecule and that requires an energy input.

Most hydrogen is derived from natural gas. NASA pays $ 1.05 per pound of liquid hydrogen delivered to Huntsville. Wholesale gasoline (before taxes) costs eight cents per pound. Hydrogen derived from petroleum is obtained by processing the liquid in a reformer that has an efficiency of only 55-65%. Hydrogen can be obtained by water electrolysis, but this process requires electrical energy. Hydrogen could be made from garbage, biomass, or by genetically-altered plants if we knew how to do any of these affordably.

Keep an eye on this Sparrow. Columbus (OH) Dispatch 6/26/99 (wheels Section) This article was written by Maff Nauman of Knight-Ridder Newspapers. It is about the Corbin Sparrow EV. This is a one-person EV that is part motorcycle and part car. Its kidney-shaped exterior resembles a jelly bean or a nose with wheels. The company plans to build 3-400 vehicles this year. It is going into production after three years of development and $ 4-million spent by Corbin-Pacific in Hornster CA. Several hundred customers have deposited $ 1000 checks after seemg the car at west coast auto shows.

The car is classed as a motorcycle and doesn't require crash-testing, although the company plans to do this next year. The car has a 65 mph top speed, a range of 40-60 iniles, and will sell for $
12.900. The name was chosen by Mike Corbin who noted that, "Sparrows are found in almost every major city in the US an4 this is company's objective".

The 1999 Sunrace results were reported in the June 13 Columbus Dispatch. There were 40 entries, Twenty nine from universities. The 10 day event was plagued by terrible weather. The east coast experienced clouds and storms. There was only 2 1/2 days of sunshine that forced contestants to rely on battery power from recharge points along the 1300 mile route from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington to Florida. The event was won by a team from the University of Missouri in Rolla.