Guzzella added that the fuel-efficient technologies demonstrated by PAC-Car II might debut in road-worthy cars within 20 years.
For example, some energy experts laud hydrogen fuel cells as the power source of the future. The technology converts the chemical energy of hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy, and water is the only byproduct.
But according to Heywood of the Sloan Automotive Lab, widespread adoption of core technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells likely won't happen for about 50 years. The general public, he said, often forgets that there are already upwards of 700 million gasoline-powered cars on the world's roads.
"To make a difference to a sizeable fraction of that big number takes a long, long time, and [fuel cell] technology is not ready yet. It costs too much and it's not robust enough, though people are working hard to make it better," he said.
Industry Challenges
According to Heywood, who has studied the automobile industry for nearly 40 years, incorporating fuel efficient technologies into cars is a costly process. To cover the costs, the industry requires assurances that a demand exists for fuel efficiency.
With gasoline prices currently hovering around $3 (U.S.) a gallon, is demand for fuel efficiency growing?
"I think yes, the public demand for more efficient vehicles will grow," Heywood said. "But the public doesn't realize they won't get that for nothing. What nobody wants to talk about is the need to drive smaller and lighter vehicles."
According to Guzzella, small size is indeed one of the keys behind PAC-Car II's success. "It's a very tiny thing," he said. What the eco-car demonstrates, however, is that there is no single solution to improved fuel efficiency.
Heywood agrees. "There are several promising paths forward," he said. "There's going to be a number of technologies that get developed and tried, and we don't know how this will play out."
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