..Return to Meeting Review SectionCentre Meeting - April 16, 1998
Electric & Hybrid Vehicles - The Greening of the Automotive Industry
The meeting was an introduction from a global automotive company into the
changes that are occurring in the powerplants for current & future automobiles.
Presenter: Julian Mark Harvey
Affiliation: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., Torrance, Calif.
Toyota also provided a "Ride & Drive" demonstration of an example of an electric vehicle (RAV4-EV) at the presentation.
The presentation covered;
Pure EVs with batteries to drive the motor.
Fuel Cell EVs (FCEVs) with on-board power generating systems that use a fuel cell to provide electricity for the motor.
Series hybrid vehicles with engines to generate electricity to drive the motor.
Parallel hybrid vehicles that use engines and motors in tandem.
This meeting also presented an overview of the current concerns in the automotive industry that are creating the climate for rapid progress in the development of alternative vehicle propulsion systems. The meeting concluded with a lively Q&A session concerning the future of these technologies, and a further look at the vehicle.
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Document last updated - May 3, 1998