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Road & Track Presents: Ride of Your Life
Episode FLRYL-208

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Toyota manufactures electric Rav-4's for the pollution conscious Southern California market.
Alternative Vehicles (208)
Follow Ride of Your Life off the beaten path for a parade of alternative vehicles. Electric vehicles and hybrid gas-electric vehicles from Toyota, Honda and General Motors are just the start. You'll also get a look at AC Propulsion's tzero, a supercar run entirely on batteries. Then we're off to visit Dr. Paul Moller in Davis, Calif., where he's working on the flying car of the future.

Electric Vehicle Facts:

  • A hydrogen fueling station recently opened in Richmond, Calif.
  • New York City established a fleet of electric taxis in 1897.
  • General Motors released the second generation EV1 in 1999.
  • The General Motors EV1 Generation Two makes 137 horsepower and has a range between 100 and 140 miles.
  • Toyota plans to sell a gas-electric hybrid version of its RAV4.

Sites that give specifics about GM, Honda and Toyota alternative vehicles:

GM
www.gmev.com

Honda
www.honda.com

Toyota
www.toyota.com

Hybrid Vehicle Facts:

  • Toyota has sold more than 98,000 Prius sedans worldwide since its introduction in 1997. The Prius averages 52 MPG highway and 45 MPG city.
  • Toyota intends to have more than 300,000 hybrids on the road by 2005.
  • Honda has sold more than 13,000 Insights since its introduction in 1999.
  • GM plans to have a hybrid pickup truck available in 2004.

Alternative Vehicles Facts:

  • Greenhouse gases increase global temperature by trapping solar radiation.
  • Hydrogen is the lightest and most common element in the universe, and it can be stored as a gas or as a cooled liquid.
  • The BMW 750hL has a top speed of about 140 mph and a range of about 190 miles.
  • The automatic hydrogen fueling process lasts around three minutes.
  • The clean air tour visited Tokyo, Dubai, Milan and Brussels.

Tzero Facts:
  • Travels the quarter mile in just over 13 seconds.
  • Employs a traction control system.
  • Can be charged from a standard electrical outlet.
  • Produces 220 horsepower.
  • Can go from 0 to 60 MPH in 4.07 seconds.
  • Its batteries last between 15,000 and 20,000 miles.
  • There is no formal date set for the start of tzero production.
  • The projected sales price of the tzero is more than $100,000.

Resources:

tzero
www.acpropulsion.com
Facts and figures about the tzero — and how to get one.

Skycar Facts:

  • Dr. Paul Moller designed his first helicopter at age 15.
  • Moller developed a successful power-boosting motorcycle muffler in 1971.
  • The Skycar was built in Davis, Calif.
  • The Skycar employs artificial stabilization technology, and it is powered by a Four Moller Rotapower engine.
  • Moller International has secured more than two dozen patents for its technological advancements.
  • The Skycar is designed to safely take off and land from almost any location.
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