Alliance Formed to Usher in Era of Fuel-Cell Cars

U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and executives from Detroit's automakers announced a partnership to power vehicles by hydrogen fuel cells on Wednesday, replacing a Clinton-era program that tried to develop high-mileage gasoline-powered vehicles. The new program, Freedom Cooperative Automotive Research (Freedom CAR), puts an end to the eight-year, $1.5-billion Partnership for a New Generation Project. The public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research is expected to develop hydrogen fuel-cell technology that is affordable for consumers. Technology from the Freedom CAR project is seen as eventually replacing the internal combustion engine.