AUTOMOTIVE OPTIONS
The recent expo in Santa Monica, Calif., was billed as the largest collection of alternative vehicles ever assembled under one roof. The 120 exhibitors touted vehicles powered by everything from natural gas and fuel cells to electricity and vegetable oil.
It's no coincidence that the expo was taking place about the same time as the larger and more conventional Los Angeles Auto Show was humming along across town. Organizers of the Santa Monica event say they wanted to challenge the status quo.
Many environmentalists were "supremely disappointed" that the Los Angeles show didn't include more in the way of eco-friendly vehicles, said Christine Dzilvelis, organizer of the Alternative Car Expo.
"Our event is not about the future. This is about vehicles that people can buy and changes they can make now," she said.
A smattering of major car manufacturers was represented. Honda showed off cars that run on fuel cells and natural gas. General Motors displayed its line of ethanol-powered vehicles.
Then there was the Solar Bug, designed by electrical engineer Steve Titus of Bozeman, Mont.
The Bug is a so-called NEV - neighborhood electrical vehicle - designed for surface streets but not freeway driving. With handlebars, a saddle seat and a four-wheel ATV chassis, "It's like sitting in an enclosed motorcycle," Titus explained. Top speed is 35 miles per hour.
"It doesn't meet everybody's requirements," he said of the $9,500 vehicle.
"Living in Bozeman, people generally say, 'Will it go in the winter?' It will, but it's not very warm."
Still, The Bug has a battery that can be recharged by plugging it into a household outlet, Titus said. And solar panels mounted on the outside provide up to 10 percent of the power it uses - for free.
"I wanted to create a vehicle that would not only be green, but a vehicle that young people would want to drive, that would be fun," Titus said.
"This (show) is my first opportunity to find out what people really think about it."
San Diego software engineer Michael Kadie is building a more ambitious vehicle with a sleeker look. His two-seat 2SSIC resembles a vintage Corvette, but under the hood is a series of batteries instead of a combustion engine.
Kadie built the electric car in his garage mostly by himself, with help from friends on weekends. He's designing it to go 140 miles per hour, although in its first road test, the top speed was a more modest 45 miles per hour, he said.
Then again, that's only an estimate, because the speedometer hasn't been installed yet. Kadie figures a finished version of his vehicle will cost about $60,000 and have a range of 70 miles.
The expo "is a huge opportunity," he said. "We're thinking we might start making them, depending on our response here."
Kadie and Titus gathered with other alternative carmakers and their supporters at the Santa Monica pier for a vehicle parade to the city's airport, where the expo was held.
Also on hand were Peter Barsky and his wife, Jeannette, who own an electric-car dealership in Long Beach that sells the IT, a NEV made in Canada, along with other vehicles.
One model of the IT resembles a miniature pickup, except that it has a socket on the left front fender where a standard electrical cord plugs in to recharge its batteries. The vehicle's $10,000 base price ranges up to $18,000 if you want air conditioning, a heater and a stereo, Peter Barsky said. The IT's range is about 30 miles, and top speed is 35 miles per hour.
John Frala, who teaches alternative automotive technology at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, Calif., conceded that NEVs such as the IT fill a specialized niche in the multibillion-dollar automobile market.
Nevertheless, he pointed out that most Southern California residents use their cars for errands and other short trips. Using the lightly powered vehicles for those purposes could greatly reduce oil consumption and atmosphere-warming carbon dioxide emissions, he said.
"The nice thing about the plug-in vehicles is you can charge them at off-peak hours, so your cost goes down on the electricity and you don't tax the electric grid," Frala added.
"The problem is we've spoiled the public with expensive luxury cars. It's hard to convince them to get into a small electric car that will take you to the store."
Frala said the expo - which included a program of speakers and seminars - should go a long way toward educating consumers about alternative-fuel vehicles.
"A lot of people are not even aware that this product is out there," he said.
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