万花筒 2008-05-05&-05-06 通用汽车大秀氢燃料车（在线收听）

General Motors calls it one answer to the problem of America’s heavy dependence on foreign oil--Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. At the only gas station in Washington capable of fueling the vehicles, GM showed off few of its hydrogen-fuel-cell powered versions of the Chevy Equinox. The cars, still in development, use no petroleum and release zero greenhouse gases. They will be test-driven for the next two months by about a hundred motorists in Washington, New York and Southern California as part of GM’s Project Driveway.

 Frederick Henderson is GM’s president and Chief Operating Officer. Today, it wouldn’t be commercially viable, but the objective is through circles of learning, through invention, through change, through integration, and through inquiry (or enquiry), part of it is getting real feedback from the consumers. It’s about getting the commercialization in the future.

 The uniquely powered Chevy is not very cost-effective for GM. Each model costs more than 250,000 dollars, but GM is hoping that the federal government will provide incentives to one day make it affordable for consumers.

 These vehicles, er, they do have higher cost particularly to introduce them, and historically some incentives have been provided to consumers, to get the consumer into the equation, and we strongly support that.

 With gas approaching four dollars a gallon in much of the US, hydrogen cars could be in perhaps a decade a viable alternative to gas-powered vehicles, right now it’s more of a high price glimpse into the future.

 john Decker, Reuters.