GM spent US$1 billion to produce 700 EV-1s before Wagoner, then GM's chief operating officer, pulled the plug in 1999.
Wagoner says he concluded at the time that hybrids, with their twin motors and expensive backup batteries, make more economic sense for Tokyo's stop-and-go driving and US$4-per-gallon gasoline than for US driving patterns.
He says he decided to favor fuel cells instead because their performance could have broad customer appeal.
Wagoner says he hopes President George W. Bush will become a personal advocate for fuel cells, like Dwight Eisenhower was for highways and John Kennedy for moon rockets.
Such advocacy makes sense in part, in Wagoner's view, because it would allow Bush to position himself as the president who liberated the US from Mideast oil. "We had some discussions, and I think there's some interest," Wagoner says.
US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham says the federal government is promoting fuel cells.
RSS