U.S. giant automaker sees no industry convergence on energy source used to power vehicles


DETROIT ― There will not be a predominant low-emission technology in the automotive industry, a senior General Motors official said Wednesday, emphasizing the importance of developing more than one alternative energy source.

“Will there be a convergence? Probably not for the next 15 years. I don’t know if there will ever be convergence due in part to different government regulations across countries and different energy supply types,” said John Calabrese, vice president of global vehicle engineering at GM.

The engineering head of GM, one of the world’s biggest carmakers, emphasized the benefits of deploying different energy technologies across Europe, Asia and the U.S., taking no sides in the debate over next-generation cars.

“In Europe, diesel is subsidized, under different emission laws from the U.S. and Asia Pacific. China is focused on electrifying their energy sources, Canada still tries to encourage use of its natural gases while Brazil promotes a hybrid of gasoline and ethanol,” Calabrese said.

“So as a car manufacturer, you need to have a portfolio of solutions,” he said. 

His comments come as car manufacturers race to developed the latest electric, hydrogen, or hybrid cars equipped with the best environment credentials and designs. Replacing gasoline with environmentally friendly power options has become obligatory with international push to meet stricter energy standards. The debate remains very much alive with Hyundai on the hybrid side and French automaker Renault SA on all-electric side. Calabrese said GM aims to maintain a balanced portfolio of future energy solutions to meet different customer needs across the globe.

“Hydrogen powered vehicles we’re currently testing are going to be a 20-year journey until customers are accustomed to the concept of hydrogen generators. All-electric vehicles will work, but it is the most inefficient in terms of energy density,” he said.

Demand for electric cars has been slowing down globally due to a lack of available models and weak charging infrastructure in most countries outside of Europe.

Michael Bly, the company’s chief of global electrical systems, said Korea is potentially best suited to adopt all-electric vehicles.

“GM tested capability of Chevrolet all-electric EN-V concept car in Korea one year ago in collaboration with the Seoul city government and the feedback was very favorable, fitting right into the urban lifestyle and driving conditions,” Bly said.

“Hyundai and Kia’s capability is developing but no one is a clear leader (of electric vehicle technologies) in Korea yet,” he added

GM on Wednesday confirmed that it will debut its first all-electric version of the Spark minicar in Korea, U.S., and other selected markets in 2013.

The revamp of the 2012 Spark gasoline version is GM’s latest push to meet more stringent U.S. requirements on greenhouse gas emissions that will be in place by 2025.

“The technology is ideal for smaller vehicles like the Spark. It can provide a viable solution in markets where the infrastructure is more mature,” said Jim Federico, a GM global vehicle line executive.

GM hosted centennial celebration of its flagship brand Chevrolet in its Detroit headquarters in the past week where the first Chevy was built in 1991.

Chevrolet was the only global car brand in the top five to grow in its market share with a record 4.26 million cars sold last year.

By Cynthia J. Kim (cynthiak@heraldcorp.com)