Greater Los Angeles Auto Show Announces Inaugural 'Automobiles and the Environment' Conference
29 September 1997
Greater Los Angeles Auto Show Announces Inaugural 'Automobiles and the Environment' Conference
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29 -- The Greater Los Angeles Auto Show
will further enhance its position as a leading venue for automobile
manufacturers to showcase the newest environmental technology by hosting the
inaugural "Automobiles and the Environment." The half-day conference will be
held as part of the Show's two Media Days, December 29 and 30, 1997, and is
free to all registered Media Days attendees.
The conference, which is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon on December 30,
will provide a forum where journalists and industry observers will hear
distinguished experts discuss the latest advancements in environmental
technology and what the consumer can expect in the short- and long-term.
Questions under discussion during the half-day conference will include:
When will we see a significant number of electric vehicles in the showroom?
Is the fuel cell the powerplant of the future? Will alternative fuels ever
displace gasoline as the fuel of choice?
The L.A. Auto Show's involvement with the introduction of advanced
environmental vehicles took a major step forward in 1990 with General Motors'
Impact electric concept car. Since that time, other automakers also stepped
forward with developmental vehicle introductions that have included, among
others, electric vehicles like the Toyota RAV 4-EV, Ford Ecostar and Honda EV,
and ultra low emission vehicles such as the Honda Civic NGV, Chevrolet Lumina
variable fuel vehicle, and Ford Crown Victoria natural gas vehicle. GM
grabbed worldwide attention again in 1996 when it announced at the L.A. Auto
Show that it would produce the Impact-based EVI electric car and offer them
for lease to consumers.
Already for 1998, Nissan has announced that it will have the U.S. debut of
its new Altra-EV at the L.A. Auto Show. The Altra-EV is a four-passenger
compact van that is equipped with lithium-ion batteries. Mitsubishi,
meanwhile, will be introducing an all-new concept environmental vehicle.
"Los Angeles is a city created and defined by the automobile, and over the
years has become a focal point of the environmental vehicle movement," said
Conference Director Ron Cogan. "The conference is a natural progression for
the L.A. Auto Show by bringing together the key people who are responsible for
developing this cutting-edge technology."
The conference will be composed of three 40-minute sessions, each with a
moderator and a panel of experts, that will focus on electric, hybrid electric
and clean fuel vehicles issues.
Both electric and hybrid electric vehicle sessions will be moderated by
Bob Hayden, executive director of the Electric Vehicle Association of the
Americas, an organization that lends focus to electric vehicle
commercialization nationwide. The electric vehicle session will address
issues involving what consumers can expect in the near- and long-term from
automakers, and if electric vehicles will ever compete head-to-head with
internal combustion engines.
Hayden will then lead panelists in discussions concerning hybrid electric
vehicles. Topics will include whether or not the fuel cell is the powerplant
of the future or if hybrid electric vehicles are more suitable than pure EVs
for the mass market. The discussion also will tackle some of the
infrastructure challenges.
Editor and Publisher of Green Car Journal, Ron Cogan, a former Motor Trend
feature editor who brings more than 20 years in environmental transportation
experience, will moderate the clean fuel vehicles session where panelists will
examine the complex issues ranging from reformulated gasoline, ethanol,
methanol and compressed natural gas to lean-burn engines.
The initial list of panelists, with additional participants to be
announced, includes:
-- John Wallace, Director of Alternative Fuel Vehicle Programs for Ford
-- Robert Bienenfeld, Manager of Alternative Fuel Vehicles for Honda
-- Mark Amstock, National Alternative Fuel Planning Manager for Toyota
-- Cindy Hasenjager, California Renewable Fuels Council
-- Jeff Wilson, Western States Petroleum Association
-- Ray Geddes, CEO of Unique Mobility, Inc.
-- Deborah Castleman, Vice President of Rosen Motors
-- Jim Nickerson, Vice President of Maxwell Technologies
Unique Mobility, Inc. is a leading developer of electric vehicle
propulsion systems with strategic alliances to automakers and other EV
interests, including Lee Iacocca's EV Global Motors. Rosen Motors, created by
Ben Rosen, co-founder of Compaq Computer, and his brother Harold, a former
Hughes Aircraft vice president and developer of the geostationary
communications satellite, is developing a high-tech flywheel battery and
turbogenerator powertrain for passenger vehicles. Maxwell Technologies
manufactures PowerCache ultracapacitors designed to give hybrid electric
vehicles a surge of acceleration independent of available battery power.
Media Days for the 1998 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show will be held
December 29 and 30, 1997, and the Show will be open to the public January 2
through 11, 1998. For additional information on the L.A. Auto Show and the
"Automobiles and the Environment" conference, please contact VL Communications
Group at 916-362-3400, or in Europe, Gordon Bruce Associates at
+ 44-1-628-890-505.
SOURCE Greater Los Angeles Auto Show