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Auto industry's got high hopes for the fuel cell By MELISSA MARTIN American vehicles are expected to travel 317.9 million miles this year, and compressed natural gas is only one alternative fuel available. Traveling the highways are vehicles powered by liquefied natural gas, ethanol, propane, methanol, electricity or hybrid systems that combine electricity and gasoline. But the power source that's creating a buzz of excitement in the industry is the fuel cell. In a fuel cell, hydrogen and water separate positive and negative charges to produce power. The auto industry hopes the compact fuel cells will someday replace the 39 heavy, space-crunching batteries in electric vehicles. The Ford Ranger, for example, the world's largest electric vehicle, seats three people, said Charles Longmire, master technician for Butler Ford in Ashland. He's the only certified electric vehicle mechanic between Canada and Sacramento. "Fuel cell technology is not new -- it's been used in the space industry for years," Longmire said. "But it's still too expensive for the production line right now." A Ford-built prototype that's cruising the streets of Washington, D.C., this year is valued at $300,000. But within the decade, vehicles powered by fuel cells may be more common, he predicted. And drivers may not have to give up luxuries such as passenger space, ski racks or four-wheel drive. The trucking industry also has a prototype fuel cell vehicle that's traveling the country, said Gary Rossow, director of government and technical affairs for Freightliner Corp., North America's largest manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks. Freightliner custom-built an 18-wheeler with two $100,000 fuel cell auxiliary power units that run all of the rig's accessories, Rossow said. "All the long-haul trucks have driver sleeping compartments and when they stop to sleep at a rest stop or overnight stop, they need to keep the heat on in the winter to stay warm or the air conditioning on in the summer to stay cool," Rossow said. "They want to run lights or the microwave that's in their cab and the net result is that they leave the trucks idling all night, generating lots of emissions and using lots of fuel. "This is a technology we hope will allow trucks to be shut off under those circumstances, not generate any pollution or noise, but still empower all the electrical systems on the truck," Rossow said. The trucking industry is in a hurry to make this technology affordable because newly released federal standards call for zero emissions by 2007, he said. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA