Everyone likes a glimpse of the future, so environmentally friendly low- or no-emission "green'' vehicles may draw more than passing attention at the Chicago Auto Show. They provide a look at what may replace many conventional engine setups in current cars.
A few vehicles that are sure to get a second look are:
• Ford's Edge SUV hybrid.
• Ford's Edge SUV hybrid.
• Ford's Airstream concept car.
• GM's Chevrolet Volt.
• Toyota's FT-HS concept hybrid sports car.
This reporter drove Ford's concept mid-size Edge SUV hybrid early this week before it was put on display at the show, which opens Friday at McCormick Place. The Edge is a battery-powered plug-in hybrid with a hydrogen-powered fuel cell that operates as an onboard charger.
The Edge hybrid has a 225-mile range and EPA-estimated fuel economy of 42 mpg while using no gasoline, which should gladden hearts of those who recall paying $3 per gallon last summer. It emits only water vapor.
Driving the quiet, comfortable non-polluting Edge hybrid wasn't exciting because no unusual driving techniques were needed. But piloting the vehicle was interesting as I took it through the congested noontime Loop area and on North Lake Shore Drive, partly because it is deathly quiet. It operates in "battery only" mode for the first 25 miles at speeds up to 85 mph. When the battery is depleted to 40 percent, the fuel cell auxiliary power unit automatically starts up and recharges the battery.
The vehicle has electrical charging and hydrogen fueling ports. You plug it in overnight at home to recharge the battery. It takes about five minutes to fill the hydrogen tanks, which also are used to get the Edge hybrid ready to go. Gas stations are all over the place, but Ford said developing a hydrogen infrastructure to refuel the Edge would take years -- and that more fuel cell research must be done.
The Edge hybrid looks like a production Edge with fancy paint, but Ford will display one of the most unique green concept vehicles at the show: the Airstream, which looks like a wacky chrome-painted custom van from the 1970s, complete with orange-trimmed windows. It's a hybrid truck with a plug-in powertrain and hydrogen-powered power cell. There's swiveling seats and even a non-polluting lava lamp on the floor.
The Airstream's fuel cell generates electricity that goes into a lithium ion battery pack. Ford says it can operate in extremely cold weather, a driving situation where a regular fuel cell vehicle often struggles.
General Motors has a racy-looking green vehicle at the show -- the Chevrolet Volt. No media rides were offered in this vehicle. But the Volt has a pure electric powertrain that gets energy from plugging in it in at home or work, or from an onboard generator powered by a small gasoline engine. However, viable batteries aren't available yet to make the Volt a production vehicle. Chevy expects they may be ready by 2010 or 2012.
The most familiar green car to many showgoers is Toyota's Prius, which pioneered the hybrid gasoline/electric car in America several years ago. It teams a four-cylinder gasoline engine with a battery-powered electric motor for a total of 110 horsepower. Fuel economy is an estimated 60 mpg in the city and 51 on highways.
The Prius looks like a "green'' car, with unusual styling, whereas the rival gasoline/electric hybrid version of the Honda Accord looks like just another Accord -- and thus probably won't draw the attention of, say, the Volt or Airstream.
Toyota will display its new FT-HS concept hybrid green car at the show. The FT-HS concept is a racy- looking sports car that "combines ecology and emotion.'' The aerodynamic auto has no less than a 400-horsepower V-6 and "next generation'' hybrid technology.
