Clean-fuel vehicles on display at Air Quality Summit
ASHEVILLE -- Six cars and trucks powered by “clean fuels” will be on display this week at the Governors’ Summit on Mountain Air Quality in Asheville.
The alternative-fuel vehicles, or AFVs, could provide summit participants with a glimpse of the future for personal transportation. Such electric and natural-gas powered vehicles, which already are in limited use across North Carolina, could become more common as states search for ways to improve air quality.
“Alternative-fuel vehicles are one part of our strategy for achieving clean air,” said Al Ebron, the AFV coordinator for the N.C. Division of Air Quality. “They also will help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”
AFVs could play an important role in dealing with air quality problems because cars and trucks are major sources of the pollutants that cause ozone, the most serious and widespread air quality problem in North Carolina and other Southeastern states.
In North Carolina, motor vehicles account for about half of the ozone-forming pollution statewide and up to 90 percent in major metropolitan areas. Ozone, the primary component of urban smog, is formed when nitrogen oxides (NOx) react with hydrocarbons in the air during hot, sunny weather.
The AFVs at the Governors’ Summit include two electric cars, two electric trucks and two natural-gas powered sedans. The vehicles will be on display at the Grove Park Inn, where the summit is taking place, and also will be used to shuttle summit participants around Asheville. The vehicles include:
A General Motors EV1 electric car, provided by North Carolina Power Co., which is a two-door sedan that can hold carry two people. General Motors sells the EV1 in California and Arizona. It has a top speed of 80 miles per hour and can travel 50 to 100 miles on a single charge.
Two Chevrolet S-10 electric pickup trucks, provided by Carolina Power & Light Co. The S-10 electric pickup is available throughout the U.S. It has a top speed of 70 mph and can travel 45 to 90 miles on a single charge.
A US Electricar, provided by Carolina Power & Light Co., which is a four-door, five-passenger sedan that is converted from a Geo Prizm. The US Electricar is available throughout the U.S. It can travel 45 to 55 miles on a single charge.
Two Ford Crown Victoria NGVs, which are natural-gas powered sedans from the state motor fleet. The four-door, six-passenger sedan is available throughout the U.S. It can travel 165 to 195 miles on a tank of natural gas.
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Date Posted: 04/05
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