More energy-saving vehicles on display at Los Angeles Auto Show
- Source: Xinhua
- [13:39 November 22 2010]
- Comments
The ongoing Los Angeles Auto Show is attracting tens of thousands of visitors with a variety of electric, hybrid, hydrogen vehicles that consume less gas, produce zero or less emissions boast of more energy efficiency.
The show, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from Nov. 19 to 28, demonstrated about 900 vehicles. While style is important, more important is fuel economy.
Ford, the leading auto manufacturer in the United States and the world, tried to show its muscle again after the setback in the recent financial crisis. It almost occupies one third of the West Hall at the convention center.
Mark Fields, Ford Motor Co.'s president of the Americas, told the press that for 2011 Ford is offering 13 vehicles which will lead their segment in fuel economy.
He debuted the 2012 Ford Focus, with many technological features such as active park assist, Ford's SYNC with Traffic, Directions and Information and HD radio, all while getting 40 miles per gallon (mpg) on the highway.
Ford promises to make fuel economy affordable for millions of consumers and soon will put on the road its fourth vehicle delivering 40 mpg or more in 2011 - more than any other full-line automaker.
At present, Ford has 13 vehicles including cars, utilities and crossovers that lead their sales segments in fuel economy in the United States - a number no other automaker matches.
Three 2011 models achieve at least 40 mpg - Ford Fiesta SE with SFE package (40 mpg highway), Ford Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid (41 mpg city). Early next year the 2012 Ford Focus is expected to join Ford's 40-mpg club.
Mercedes-Benz has displayed its first-ever zero-emission automobile, the F-Cell model.
F-Cell is powered by Fuel Cell technology. It makes the once-lofty proposition of emission-free driving a reality. With hydrogen as fuel, the F-Cell utilizes a fuel cell stack for generating electricity and a lithium-ion battery for energy storage.
The F-Cell car can run 240 miles when fully fueled, and each refueling takes only three minutes.
Right now there are few stations that provide hydrogen, but California has several stations for F-Cell refueling. The only emission of the F-Cell car is water. However, whether this kind of car can become popular depends on whether hydrogen refueling is available anywhere.
Also on display is the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which is a revolutionary zero-emission electric vehicle.
Mitsubishi claimed that it is the result of 39 years of research and development. Employing lithium-ion batteries and advanced electric motor technology, i-MiEV offers new possibilities for alternative fuel vehicles.
The i-MiEV accepts three types of battery charging systems: standard 110v household outlet, standard 220v L6-20R outlet and quick charge system. The driving cost is about one third that of a comparable gasoline vehicle.
The i-MiEV uses a lightweight and highly efficient permanent magnet synchronous motor, which is much smaller than a gasoline engine.
This year's show marks the arrival of the modern electric car era. After years of anticipation, consumers can now purchase mass-production electric vehicles.
Los Angeles is expected to be one of the biggest markets for electric cars and the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan LEAF are among the first to arrive.
