Originally published June 29 2005
Hybrid vehicles may propel fuel cells
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Some analysts predict that hybrids, and their increasing popularity among consumers, could bridge the gap between current combustion engines and fuel cell technologies.
Making hybrid cars might do more than put Kentucky and Tennessee at the forefront of a popular automotive technology -- it might prepare the region for a gasoline-free future.
Automotive experts say hybrids could be a bridge between the internal combustion engine and hydrogen fuel cells, an environmentally friendly technology that automakers have been promoting for decades as the replacement for the gasoline-burning engine.
"There's definitely a connection there between hybrids and fuel cells," said Dan Benjamin, an analyst with ABI Research in New York.
Toyota announced last month that it would make 50,000 hybrid Camry sedans a year at its plant in Georgetown, Ky., starting next summer.
On Friday, Nissan announced that it would build hybrid Altima sedans at its plant in Smyrna, Tenn., about 250 miles south of Georgetown.
The agreement between the companies would allow Nissan to produce up to 50,000 hybrids a year, but the company declined to share its production plans.
The addition of Nissan hybrids to the region could help attract companies to supply batteries, electric motors and other hybrid components.
Analysts have said automakers would need to make about 200,000 hybrids per year in North America to attract hybrid suppliers that currently plan to export the parts to U.S. plants.
Many of the components used in hybrids would be useful in fuel-cell vehicles, so getting suppliers to Kentucky could prepare the state for the next big thing in the auto industry.
The two gases combine to make water and release a tremendous amount of energy in the process, according to the United States Department of Energy.
Both vehicles require high-tech battery packs to store the power, electric motors to turn the wheels, electronic controls to make the parts communicate and specialized brakes that can recharge batteries as the cars slow.
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