Jan 24 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Don Hammonds Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Although hybrid vehicles have stolen the spotlight, auto manufacturers are planning a wide variety of approaches -- ranging from diesel to hydrogen fuel cells -- to improve gas mileage and reduce harmful emissions.

But what is not yet clear is which -- if any -- of the many technologies will rise to the top.

"It's really a fascinating time to cover the auto industry," said Jack Nerad, editorial director at Kelly Blue Book. "The whole question of a car's powertrain is up for grabs in ways that it hasn't been for 80 to 100 years. Nobody really knows how all of this is going to shake out."

The wealth of options might be bad news for the leaders of the auto industry.

"This is going to give executives in charge of making decisions a lot of sleepless nights. You make the wrong decision or put too much money in the wrong technology, and it can be a killer for you," Mr. Nerad said.

One thing is sure: Fuel cells are years away from regular use because of concerns about the lack of refueling stations and lingering worries over safe use and storage of hydrogen fuel. As for electric power, many automakers agree that lithium ion batteries still have a lot of development work to be done before they can be offered to the public.

"Personally, I think that the use of both diesel technology and E85 [ethanol] fuel have the most overall advantages," Mr. Nerad said. "Diesel especially offers the most immediate advantage, as long as we're talking about clean diesel technology. Diesel provides significantly higher fuel economy, and there's already an infrastructure in place to deliver diesel fuel to consumers."

The Diesel Technology Forum says diesel-powered cars, trucks and SUVs provide 20 percent to 40 percent better mileage than comparable gasoline vehicles, and according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the nation could save up to 1.4 million barrels of oil per day if one-third of all the vehicles in this country were diesel powered.

Whatever combinations of technology are ultimately chosen by automakers, American consumers should not expect to end their dependence on oil overnight.

General Motors officials say it will take decades before all alternative fuel products will have a big impact on overall oil demand.

"Less than 1 percent of the 820 million cars and trucks in the world today are powered by hybrid or fuel cell technology," GM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner said at a news conference last week in Detroit. "With the current global industry sales rate of 70 million units a year, even with our best efforts, it'll take well over 12 years to replace most of the vehicles now on the road with vehicles that are more energy efficient."

Still, the sheer variety of systems and the glut of concepts and production cars on display at the North American International Auto Show shows that the industry is getting serous about saving gas and cutting back on emissions.

Here's a rundown on what some of the car companies are offering at the Detroit auto show:

General Motors

GM's Mr. Wagoner said the company would sell eight hybrid models in the United States by the end of this year and 16 new hybrid vehicles over the next four years. GM also is looking forward to building a plug-in version of the Saturn VUE hybrid that will use a lithium ion battery that will help the car get twice the fuel economy of any SUV.

The company also started delivering more than 100 fuel cell-powered Chevy Equinoxes to U.S. customers for "real-life" testing. It hopes to do the same in Europe and China.

GM also is planning on introducing a diesel-powered Chevy Silverado starting next year.

But the most important news from GM is that the company is banking heavily on E85 ethanol. GM announced a partnership with Coskata Inc., of Warrenville, Ill., which plans to use materials other than grain-based ones such as corn to produce ethanol fuel.

"Coskata has developed a propriety process to produce ethanol at a projected cost of less than $1 per gallon. And they expect to be able to replicate this process almost anywhere in the world because it can use almost any source material, including renewable, like agricultural waste, municipal waste, discarded plastics, even old tires," Mr. Wagoner said.

Coskata's process uses less than one gallon of water per gallon of ethanol produced, an amount which is far less than the three to four gallons of water now used to make a gallon of grain-based ethanol, Mr. Wagoner said.

It hopes by 2011 a plant can make 50 to 100 million gallons of ethanol a year.

Ford Motor Co.

A centerpiece of Ford's fuel saving plans for the future is its "Ecoboost" technology for engines, which the company says offers 20 percent better fuel economy, 15 percent fewer carbon dioxide emissions and better driving performance in a smaller engine.

The technology involves using special fuel injectors that deliver highly pressurized gasoline directly into each engine cylinder. Ford says a six-cylinder engine can offer the acceleration and power of a V-8, and that a four-cylinder engine can match the performance of a V-6.

More than a half-million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products over the next five years will offer Ecoboost engines, starting with the all-new Lincoln MKS sedan in the fall.

Ford also will offer electronic power- assisted steering systems in 80 percent to 90 percent of its lineup by 2011, a step that could save as much as 5 percent in gasoline use.

Chrysler LLC

Three futuristic concept vehicles -- one for each of its brands -- displayed electric power-based vehicles.

The Chrysler ecoVoyager runs on electricity from batteries supplemented by a fuel cell powered by clean hydrogen energy. The Dodge ZEO is a low-slung sportster that runs on only electricity from a lithium ion battery. And the Jeep Renegade runs on electricity stored in a lithium ion battery supplemented by a small diesel engine.

Dodge, meanwhile, will have both hybrid and diesel versions of its all new Ram pickup truck.

Mercedes-Benz

It should come as no surprise that Mercedes-Benz, arguably the company with the longest history and strongest reputation for its diesel cars and trucks, is heavily emphasizing diesel power in its plans to meet emissions and fuel economy needs.

For 2008, the company will introduce the first three diesel SUVS in the world with R, ML and GL 320 Bluetec models. Bluetec is the name used for Mercedes' diesel technology.

In 2009, Mercedes will introduce a new generation of four-cylinder diesel engines in the C 250 BlueTec. The ML 450 Hybrid SUV, powered by a gasoline engine/hybrid module system, comes on the market next year, too. Its biggest, most luxurious sedan, the S Class, gets into the hybrid act when the S 400 hybrid comes on board.

In 2010, look for a series of all-new Mercedes-Benz E Class sedans, which will include the E 300 Bluetec Hybrid sedan. It will combine hybrid, diesel and seven-speed automatic transmission technology.

Other companies

BMW showed off two models, the 335d and the X5xDrive 35d, that have the company's twin turbo 3.0-liter, 265-horsepower engine. BMW says the engine offers tremendous power -- about 80 percent of its 425 pounds-feet of torque is available almost from the time you start the car up. Yet it also offers more than a 25 percent improvement in fuel consumption over comparable gasoline power.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen will introduce an updated clean diesel Jetta into the U.S. market this year, and Audi showed off its all-new A4 sedan and its Q7 crossover. Kia is introducing the Borrego SUV, which will have a diesel version over the next two or three years.