NAFTC eNews | November/December 2007

Industry Headlines
2007: A Year in Review
Hybrids Highly Ranked in 2008 Fuel Economy Guide
GM and Disney Team up for Fuel Cell Vehicle Testing
Automakers Offer Hybrids To Compete
Daimler and Ford Partner for New Fuel Cell Company
Biodiesel Promotion and Quality Assurance Act of 2007 Introduced
Alabama Motorists To Benefit From Alternative Fuel Pumps
Safety Requirements for E85 Fuel Dispensers Established
Green Motor Oil Now Available
Barefoot Motors Developing an All-Electric ATV

Consortium Updates
From the Office of the Executive Director
NAFTC Hosts First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Demonstration in West Virginia
Fall Business Meeting Held at NAFTC Headquarters
NAFTC Gains International Exposure at EVS23

Let's Clear the Air!"

Around the World

Upcoming Events and Training

GM and Disney Team up for Fuel Cell Vehicle Testing

General Motors (GM) and the Walt Disney Company are collaborating on a project that would place ten Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell-powered sport utility vehicles (SUVs) in Disney-owned facilities throughout southern California, including its theme parks. The endeavor, which was announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 14, is not the first time that GM and Disney have worked together. As previously reported in the article "General Motors + Disney = ‘Edutainment'" in the January 2007 edition of eNews, the companies created an exhibit at Disney's Epcot Theme Park in Florida in which advances in fuel cell technology, hybrid vehicles, and ethanol-powered vehicles were showcased.


GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz announced the automaker's collaboration with Disney at the LA Auto Show in November. Credit: autodeadline.com

The GM/Disney partnership is part of GM's Project Driveway, a thirty-month program that will place more than one hundred Chevy Equinox SUVs into the hands of consumers for three months at a time. Beginning in January 2008, the public will have free use of the vehicles, which contain an estimated 9 pounds of compressed hydrogen. In exchange for use of the fuel cell-powered SUVs, consumers will provide GM feedback concerning the vehicles' driveability, reliability, refueling process, and safety. The test runs will occur in Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, D.C.


The Chevy Equinox SUV is a fuel cell-powered vehicle that uses no gasoline and produces zero emissions. Credit: autodeadline.com

"General Motors is demonstrating its commitment to hydrogen fuel cells as the answer for taking the automobile out of the environmental debate and reducing our dependence on petroleum," said Larry Burns, GM vice president of research & development and strategic planning. "The Equinox Fuel Cell is powered by GM's most advanced fuel cell propulsion system to date and demonstrates an important milestone on our pathway to automotive-competitive fuel cell propulsion technology development."

Project Driveway is hoped to help GM achieve its goal of supplying fuel cell vehicles to drivers via GM dealerships beginning in 2011. To determine your eligibility for participating in Project Driveway, please visit www.chevrolet.com/fuelcell/checkzipcode.