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Ford has unveiled what it calls a first-of-its kind test car powered by a combination of compressed hydrogen and a "plug-in" battery pack that can be recharged with a standard home electric cord.
The concept vehicle - a modified Ford Edge - was one of several technologies Ford and other carmakers displayed at the Washington motor show intended to highlight their progress in pushing into alternatives to petrol.
Ford says its Edge is the first driveable hybrid vehicle with batteries that draw power from a hydrogen fuel cell and can be recharged by a conventional electric outlet.
Plug-in vehicles, which have batteries that can be recharged with a standard electrical outlet, have drawn backing from environmental activists and power utilities since they promise to shift car-related energy consumption from oil to the US power grid.
General Motors is pressing ahead with a plug-in hybrid of its own designed to run on electric power with a small combustion engine to provide a charge as needed.
GM has said it will begin making its Chevrolet Volt as soon as it can produce the lithium-ion batteries needed to run the vehicle at a lower cost and with higher performance, a development not expected before the end of the decade.
Ford also says it has significant technical hurdles to overcome before it can sell its new electric and hydrogen car, noting that any fuel cell vehicle still costs millions to build.
"Commercialisation ... remains a tantalising but distant goal," said Sue Cischke, Ford vice-president of environmental and safety engineering.
The push to develop environmentally friendly cars by Ford and GM comes as US carmakers look to break an association with gas-guzzling trucks that executives and analysts say has hurt car sales and the image of their brands.
Ford says the "HySeries Drive" technology developed for the Edge test vehicle is capable of delivering the equivalent of 6.8 litres/100km (41mpg) when running on compressed hydrogen.
The vehicle is powered by a 336-volt lithium-ion battery pack capable of carrying the Edge 40km on stored electric power, Ford says. It is capable of a top speed of 140km/h.
Ford developed its first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in 2001. Several of its rivals, including Japanese companies Toyota and Honda, also have fuel cell prototypes in development.
Paul Newton, an analyst with Global Insight, said the drop in oil prices could delay the development of such technologies.
"There is little doubt that without significant government support, these initiatives will stall for the likes of GM and Ford, leaving the likes of Toyota and Honda with a significant competitive advantage in some alternative technologies," he said. "Even the latter's success could be tempered as falling fuel prices and the real-world costs of owning a hybrid begin to hit home, leaving the technology as a niche fashion statement, rather than a viable mainstream alternative."
Meanwhile, Ford is losing about US$1 billion annually from counterfeit auto parts, according to a study by the US Chamber of Commerce. The figure was disclosed by Joe Wiegand, Ford's global brand protection manager.
Counterfeiting has health and safety ramifications and few means of effective remediation as, for example, legal actions are largely toothless outside the US and Mexico, the study says
"Many businesses, particularly small and medium-sized companies, do not fully appreciate the bottom-line cost of lax supply chain security and the adverse impact it has on brand value,"it says.
Fake products cost companies like Ford by depriving them of revenue from genuine parts.
Consumers are also hurt because they are deceived into buying fake products that can pose health and safety hazards, according to the study.
The study also looked at counterfeiting problems for auto parts supplier Bendix, office equipment maker Xerox Corp., drug company Merck & Co. Inc., and athletic shoe maker New Balance.
- REUTERS
