If I asked you to name the least trustworthy figures in the American landscape these days I bet politicians would rank high on the list. I would also wager a tidy sum that corporate execs would not be far behind. It seems like most things, a few bad ones can really muck up a good thing. Maybe todays high priced CEO's deserve our scorn and maybe they don't. It doesn't matter much. We all seem to think they're a bit shadier now than we used to. The execs know it too. Ask Martha. That's partly why I was completely baffled by the new "Eco-ad" campaign the Ford folks have begun. They've managed to take a corporate exec and make him look like a politician. Brilliant!
Photo of ad With the difficulty domestic manufacturers are having with ever stricter café standards and EPA regulations, coupled with rapidly increasing foreign competition, this is the most compelling stuff Ford has to buy their eco-products; a corporate exec, in the politicians pose, lecturing his voters, I mean customers? If so, Sayonara!
Buying a car, any car, is an emotional experience. Especially these hybrid wind up toys this ad is supposed to be selling. The verdict is coming in rapidly that these vehicles simply don't deliver economically or ecologically as first promised. Yet people continue to stand in line to pay an 8 grand premium for 20% better fuel economy. You would need to drive 60,000 miles to begin to break even. Never mind resale value. In 5 or 6 years when these cars are no longer a novelty, who will be willing to spend 15k for an 80,000 mile used economy car when new ones are $20k? I'm not trying to argue for or against these cars. Others have already done that. My focus is on the marketing. People buy a Prius or Insight because it makes them feel better about themselves. They think they're doing their part to make the world better. If it were purely a cerebral decision most of us would be driving used Accords or Vespas. People want to feel good about their cars and the reasons they bought them. The only thing this ad makes you feel is sleepy.
Tip! As an alternative fuel source, biodiesel is top notch. It is a renewable source, since it is made from vegetable oil all you do is grow another crop.
I'm sure Mr. Ford is a very nice man. But either ego or bad advice created this mess, not sound marketing. CEO's can be terrific spokespeople, but you never saw Dave Thomas without a hamburger, The Colonel always stood behind a bucket of original recipe, and Iacoca always had a Caravan or K-car behind him. Without the products, they're just goofy looking vacuum cleaner salesmen. No offense Mr. Orek. What's the point here? Proving Ford is concerned about the environment and committed to being Green? Who cares! Corporations should focus on achieving better profits through superior products and do it ethically. Ford should work on getting the cost down on these Eco-cars, make ‘em fun to drive, and make ‘em go like stink. Put the actual cars back in the ads instead of a stuffed shirt who inherited an empire and they'll sell the cars.
In the mean time, the domestics should invest their alternative fuel and hybrid energies in the fleet and commercial market where it makes sense. If private and government fleet operators were the audience, this campaign would make complete sense. If Ford offered superior alternative fuel commercial trucks and fleet vehicles that are subject to high mileage or were prone to stop and go use, and got the government to allow tax savings for purchasing them, they wouldn't be able to keep up with demand. A fleet manager or operator would be able to recoup his investment in a year or two instead of a decade. How many barrels of oil would be saved yearly if Police cars across the country idled on propane or CNG instead of gasoline? Why aren't all Fedex and UPS trucks Hybrids? That would allow the technology to be produced in a volume large enough to bring the cost down for the consumer market. For me, I'll buy a hybrid vehicle the day after the government delivers my tax credit in an electric Jeep.
Tip! Some experts have said that alternative fuels are �unfeasible�. Perhaps a true statement when looking at the bottom line profit, but as petroleum prices rise, this gap closes, and may reach a point where feasibility is achieved.
C Judge is a veteran of the commercial truck business and currently owns Work Truck Warehouse
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
American Drivers and the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Choice
The questions about alternative fuel vehicles increase every time gasoline prices rise. There are many options for vehicle manufacturers. Getting these vehicles from the research and development phase to the mainstream public has been a long and tedious process. The American vehicle manufacturers seem to have lagged behind the Japanese in this regard or have they?
When most people hear the term "alternative fuel vehicle" the vast majority will think of hybrid vehicles, the gas and electric combination. In the 2006 model year vehicle line-up for cars the only hybrid choices are Japanese. For light trucks however, the only choices are American. The SUV line up has both Japanese and American choices. The big question remains to be answered; will the demand for alternative fuel vehicles be the saving grace for a faltering American auto industry? Can General Motors and Ford adapt quickly enough to the consumer demand for lower operating costs for the average American driver to use the current spike in gasoline prices to their advantage? Perhaps the opposite is true and the inability to change will push one or both of the American auto giants over the top and make them a takeover target for perhaps Toyota? If you don't think this scenario is possible, have you ever heard of a company called DaimlerChrysler?
Hybrid technology seems to be the most recognizable with the general public but it is not the only alternative fuel choice available. Some other alternative fuel sources have been used for years, mostly in fleet or industrial vehicles. The most notable would be Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) more commonly known as propane. Another similar fuel source is Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Fleets of trucks, buses and government agency cars have used these fuel sources for many years. Having a network of fueling stations is a stumbling point to bringing these vehicles to mainstream America. One reason why these fuel sources work well for fleet usage is because of the central garage and fueling station arrangement. When the vehicle has completed its workday it is brought back to the central garage as well as fueled for the next day's service. Although both LPG and CNG are fossil fuels they produce less emissions than gasoline. Flex-fuel vehicles (FFV) are vehicles that have a single fuel source and are designed to run on either regular unleaded gasoline or a mixture of gasoline and an alcohol fuel source such as ethanol or methanol. With many farmer owned cooperatives building ethanol production facilities as a way to market their corn and other grain crops this type of alternative fuel vehicle choice has gained the most momentum in mainstream America. Another type of alternative fuel source vehicle is known as a Bi-fuel Vehicle. This design uses two completely separate fuel system. Typically one fuel source is a readily available fuel such as regular unleaded gasoline or diesel and the other fuel source is either LPG or CNG.
Tip! Ethanol is blended with gasoline to create E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. E85 and blends with even higher concentrations of ethanol qualify as alternative fuels under the Energy Policy Act.
By using two fuel sources the vehicle has greater flexibility to travel outside the limited refueling network for LPG or CNG. The vehicle is designed to easily switch between the two fuel sources based on fuel availability. Electric vehicles show promise but there are issues with the weight from battery storage sources and a network of recharging facilities as well as their limited travel range. Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV) are several years away as they are not expected to reach the mass market prior to 2010.Government agencies and domestic automobile manufacturers are joining forces to bring a zero emission vehicle that does not rely on fossil fuels to the American driving public. Freedom CAR is a cooperative research effort between the Department of Energy and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research whose goal is to develop cars and trucks that are cheaper to operate, pollution free, competitively priced and free from imported oil.
Tip! It doesn't take a degree in chemistry to make your own biodiesel. Whether you have a blender, a soda bottle, or a huge mixing tank, you have the tools and resources necessary to make this amazing alternative fuel.
With alternative fuel sources there will be growing pains. These would include setting up a network of refueling stations and training automotive repair technicians on vehicles that are completely different from what they have repaired in the past. There are many automotive technicians who, I am sure, will leave the industry as the new technology is introduced. The neighborhood repair garage will disappear as these increasingly more sophisticated vehicles begin rolling on American streets and highways. Most vehicle manufactures will keep the training on these new vehicles for their network of dealer service technicians only.
If you are considering an alternative fuel vehicle you should also consider the proximity of refueling stations and how that network will expand in the foreseeable future. Staying informed on alternative fuel vehicles currently in production as well as those that will be available in the near future will be to your advantage as a consumer.
Tip! Although hydrogen fuel cells appear to be the most promising source of alternative fuel, other sources are being researched and tested. Alternative transportation fuels provide economic advantages while also offering significant environmental benefits.
-Reference material from www.fuleconomy.gov , The Department of Energy, FreedomCAR initiative and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Copyright 2006 Dana Buttenhoff
Dana Buttenhoff has over 20 years experience in the automotive industry. The past 12 years as an automotive service consultant for a European luxury car dealership in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota.
When most people hear the term "alternative fuel vehicle" the vast majority will think of hybrid vehicles, the gas and electric combination. In the 2006 model year vehicle line-up for cars the only hybrid choices are Japanese. For light trucks however, the only choices are American. The SUV line up has both Japanese and American choices. The big question remains to be answered; will the demand for alternative fuel vehicles be the saving grace for a faltering American auto industry? Can General Motors and Ford adapt quickly enough to the consumer demand for lower operating costs for the average American driver to use the current spike in gasoline prices to their advantage? Perhaps the opposite is true and the inability to change will push one or both of the American auto giants over the top and make them a takeover target for perhaps Toyota? If you don't think this scenario is possible, have you ever heard of a company called DaimlerChrysler?
Hybrid technology seems to be the most recognizable with the general public but it is not the only alternative fuel choice available. Some other alternative fuel sources have been used for years, mostly in fleet or industrial vehicles. The most notable would be Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) more commonly known as propane. Another similar fuel source is Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Fleets of trucks, buses and government agency cars have used these fuel sources for many years. Having a network of fueling stations is a stumbling point to bringing these vehicles to mainstream America. One reason why these fuel sources work well for fleet usage is because of the central garage and fueling station arrangement. When the vehicle has completed its workday it is brought back to the central garage as well as fueled for the next day's service. Although both LPG and CNG are fossil fuels they produce less emissions than gasoline. Flex-fuel vehicles (FFV) are vehicles that have a single fuel source and are designed to run on either regular unleaded gasoline or a mixture of gasoline and an alcohol fuel source such as ethanol or methanol. With many farmer owned cooperatives building ethanol production facilities as a way to market their corn and other grain crops this type of alternative fuel vehicle choice has gained the most momentum in mainstream America. Another type of alternative fuel source vehicle is known as a Bi-fuel Vehicle. This design uses two completely separate fuel system. Typically one fuel source is a readily available fuel such as regular unleaded gasoline or diesel and the other fuel source is either LPG or CNG.
Tip! Ethanol is blended with gasoline to create E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. E85 and blends with even higher concentrations of ethanol qualify as alternative fuels under the Energy Policy Act.
By using two fuel sources the vehicle has greater flexibility to travel outside the limited refueling network for LPG or CNG. The vehicle is designed to easily switch between the two fuel sources based on fuel availability. Electric vehicles show promise but there are issues with the weight from battery storage sources and a network of recharging facilities as well as their limited travel range. Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV) are several years away as they are not expected to reach the mass market prior to 2010.Government agencies and domestic automobile manufacturers are joining forces to bring a zero emission vehicle that does not rely on fossil fuels to the American driving public. Freedom CAR is a cooperative research effort between the Department of Energy and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research whose goal is to develop cars and trucks that are cheaper to operate, pollution free, competitively priced and free from imported oil.
Tip! It doesn't take a degree in chemistry to make your own biodiesel. Whether you have a blender, a soda bottle, or a huge mixing tank, you have the tools and resources necessary to make this amazing alternative fuel.
With alternative fuel sources there will be growing pains. These would include setting up a network of refueling stations and training automotive repair technicians on vehicles that are completely different from what they have repaired in the past. There are many automotive technicians who, I am sure, will leave the industry as the new technology is introduced. The neighborhood repair garage will disappear as these increasingly more sophisticated vehicles begin rolling on American streets and highways. Most vehicle manufactures will keep the training on these new vehicles for their network of dealer service technicians only.
If you are considering an alternative fuel vehicle you should also consider the proximity of refueling stations and how that network will expand in the foreseeable future. Staying informed on alternative fuel vehicles currently in production as well as those that will be available in the near future will be to your advantage as a consumer.
Tip! Although hydrogen fuel cells appear to be the most promising source of alternative fuel, other sources are being researched and tested. Alternative transportation fuels provide economic advantages while also offering significant environmental benefits.
-Reference material from www.fuleconomy.gov , The Department of Energy, FreedomCAR initiative and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Copyright 2006 Dana Buttenhoff
Dana Buttenhoff has over 20 years experience in the automotive industry. The past 12 years as an automotive service consultant for a European luxury car dealership in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
