For the first time, demand is high for an environmentally friendly
car. Honda’s new Insight now has a two-month waiting list. The Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Halpert has the story:
Author: Julie Halpert
Automaker Tries to Tap Green Market
For the first time ever, a major auto maker is launching a new division devoted exclusively to environmentally friendly vehicles. Ford believes the move establishes the company as a leader in environmental protection. But now the question remains: Can an auto maker make a profit selling these kinds of cars? Or do they really want to? The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Halpert has more:
Transcript
For the first time ever, a major auto maker is launching a
new division devoted exclusively to environmentally friendly vehicles. Ford
believes the move establishes the company as a leader in environmental
protection. But now the question remains: can an automaker make a profit
selling these kinds of cars? Or do they really want to? The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Julie Halpert has more:
Over the next year, expect to see a new type of transportation making
its way into communities across the country. Tiny electric cars that look like
oversized golf carts. And moped-sized electric bikes. They’re part of a new division at
the Ford Motor Company named Think. John Wallace runs the program.
“We felt that our customer base is becoming increasingly
environmentally sensitive and our company has a major strategy to become a
leader in environmental protection, so one of the things we looked at doing
was establishing a brand that was focused entirely on highly
environmentally responsible products and that’s what Think really is.”
There’s four products in the think line: two electric bikes and two
battery powered cars. The think neighbor goes 25 miles on a charge and is intended for
neighborhood trips. It will retail for about $6,000. The Think
City can go 55 miles on a charge and is designed for longer trips. It will cost
around $25,000. Wallace says that these cars should fill a niche market for
local travel.
“It’s really something that doesn’t exist. It’s a road
vehicle. It’s not a golf cart. It’s a different kind of vehicle that comes in a
variety of sizes and really offers the ability to have cost-effective
transportation with no impact to the environment.”
Those in the fuel efficiency business share Wallace’s enthusiasm. John
Decheeko is with the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.
He says Think could teach Ford some valuable lessons.
“Usually they sell products based on the basis of power,
size and luxury, a whole suite of other attributes. In a sense they need to
learn how to sell green and by putting it into the framework of a special
company, I think is a very sensible strategy to test that out and learn how to
do it effectively.”
(sound of highway)
The think isn’t commercially available yet, but there are a few similar models on the market. Here
in Saline, Michigan, Dan Sturgis is an independent automotive enfineer who worked on the Think
project.
Sturgis: “It’s not even to full speed. It gets, I mean, at 25 miles anhour when you’re very open,
it’s actually quite fun.”
Halpert: “The feel reminds
one of a go-cart ride, a little bumpy, but with a lot of pick-up.”
Sturgis: “You can tell it’s kind of quick. I always had fun driving these things.”
Sturgis is delighted that Ford is trying to market these. And he thinks
they’ll have far-reaching benefits.
“I think these vehicles are a step in the right direction in
that they look at more than just air quality. They look at our parking. They
look at congestion issues. They look at the cost of vehicles and the cost of
travel, so that’s the advantage of these vehicles, is the comprehensive approach.”
But some environmentalists are questioning Ford’s motives. Dan
Becker is with the Sierra Club. He says that Ford is best known for its sport
utility vehicles, and that those cars are some of the worst polluters. Becker
wonders why they’re unveiling products that aren’t practical.
“Why they’re doing something completely different that
the American people have never had any experience with raises the question
as to whether they’re serious in wanting to sell this or whether it’s just an
effort to greenscam and claim that they tried to make a green vehicle when
they are actually making something they don’t think will succeed.”
Becker says for these cars to succeed, Ford will need to aggressively
market them. And he’s doubtful that they’ll earmark enough funds.
But Ford’s John Wallace says the company does have a strong
marketing plan.
“It’s a lot more than just image. I’m trying to make a
business that is self-sustained, that is pleasing to customers, that is profitable
to the company, that can meet as many market needs as we can find, that can
have as much volume as we can generate.”
Wallace says that gaining public acceptance will be the biggest
challenge. He admits that while the Think mobiles aren’t for everyone, Ford
only intends to market them to people who drive short distances.
Wallace says this approach speaks to the strengths of the vehicles.
“The neighbor becomes a way of getting transportation
in a way that’s extremely friendly in a low speed environment. People call it
a front porch on wheels because it’s open. It’s pleasant. There’s no noise and
you can refill it just be plugging it into your garage.”
The Think neighbor car will be available this November, while the
Think City is due in late 2001. All of the Think products can be ordered on
the web.
For The Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Julie Halpert
in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Automakers Unveil Green Concept Cars
Ford and General Motors each plan to unveil new
environmentally friendly concept cars at this year’s North American
International Auto Show in Detroit. The cars are the outgrowth of an
initiative between the federal government and the big three auto
companies to develop a car that could fit a family of five but get 80 miles
to the gallon. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert has more:
Transcript
Ford and General Motors each plan to unveil new environmentally friendly concept cars at this
year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The cars are the outgrowth of an
initiative between the federal government and the big three car companies to develop a car that
could fit a family of five but get eighty miles to the gallon. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Julie Edelson Halpert has more:
A mid-sized vehicle that triples the fuel economy of today’s cars. That was once only a pipe dream
for domestic auto makers. But after six years of research, they’ve done it. Using a combination
diesel and electric engine, Ford and General Motors have developed cars that get gas mileage up to
eighty miles per gallon. Jeff Coleman is a spokesman for General Motors. He says GM’s car, the
Precept, makes great environmental strides. but one big obstacle remains: cost.
“Many of the technologies that are on the GM Precept are not in high volumes today, and so you’d
expect the vehicle to be quite expensive. And the job over the next few years is to learn more
about these technologies, put these into use in real vehicles that are on the road today.”
Coleman says that as the technologies become more widespread, costs will come down. The auto
companies hope to develop an affordable high mileage car by 2003.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Julie Edelson Halpert.
Is E-Commerce Green Commerce?
If you shopped on the Internet this holiday season, you not only beat
the crowds at the mall, you also may have helped to conserve natural
resources. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson-Halpert has
more:
Automakers Accelerate Toward Greener Cars
In the next few months, Honda and Toyota each will launch a
new type of super clean car, called a hybrid. The fact that the
Japanese
are
first to market hybrid vehicles concerns some environmentalists.
They’re
worried that domestic auto makers aren’t moving fast enough on this
promising technology. But in an unusual move, environmentalists are not
chastising the big three. Instead, they’re lending a helping hand. The
Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert files this report:
Bringing Clean Cars to the U-S Market
Two Japanese auto manufacturers soon will unveil a new,
cleaner type of car for the U-S market. It’s called a hybrid. Hybrids
rely
on gasoline, but use an electric engine to double the fuel efficiency
and
emit fewer pollutants. So far, no domestic automaker has come forward
with a hybrid car. And that’s troubling environmentalists. They’re
worried
that the U-S could fall behind its foreign competitors. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert has the story:
Cleaning Up the Dirty Diesels
The rule in driving these days seems to be that bigger is better, with
light trucks and sport utility vehicles overtaking the road. But as
automakers bask in their high profits from the pricey vehicles, a new
challenge looms…how to make them more fuel efficient. The trucks guzzle
substantially more gas and emit more pollutants than passenger cars and
the government is putting pressure on automakers to clean them up. Now,
an unlikely candidate is emerging to solve the problem. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert reports:
S-U-V Sales Tapering Off?
For the past several years, light trucks have been some of the biggest automotive success stories, with sales increasing steadily each year. Now, some dealers are starting to see signs that things might be tapering off. That’s music to environmentalists’ ears, who are starting to worry about the pollution those trucks cause. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert has more:
EPA Re-Examines Effects of Pesticides on Children
For the past few years, environmentalists have been warning consumers that pesticides applied to fruits and vegetables could be extremely dangerous to children. Soon, the Environmental Protection Agency will tackle the issue. Armed with a new federal law, the EPA is taking a fresh look to see if pesticides applied to produce carry health hazards. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert has more:
Are Sperm Counts Declining?
Are sperm counts on the decline? Federal researchers hope they can find out. The government is about to launch the largest project ever to find out if something’s gone wrong with male reproductive health. The study will follow a recent report from the California Department of Health Services that startled the scientific community. The study found a significant drop in sperm count and raised questions about whether environmental chemicals are the culprit. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert has more: