Are Electric-Gas Hybrid Cars The Way Of The Future?

Depends on who you ask. Ford doesn’t think so. The American carmaker backed down from the company’s electric-gas hybrid car goals and said they would now focus on a variety of technologies, especially ethanol.

According to CEO Bill Ford, the reason is that the target of 250,000 electric-gas hybrid cars by 2010 was “too narrow.” The company now wants to explore other options that truly fulfill their objective of improving fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions.

The first step in this direction was introduced during the Micheline Challenge Bibendum in France. Ford’s star was the Volvo Multi-Fuel, a midsize wagon optimized to run on 5 different fuels: hythane, biomethane, natural gas, alternative ethanol fuel E85 and gasoline.

The Challenge Bibendum, a yearly event hosted by Michelin, is the stage where some of the most advanced automotive technologies are introduced. The goal is to present different alternatives and to create synergy among researchers, manufacturers and legislators regarding fuel-efficiency and environmentally friendly alternatives.

Among the many innovations, there were ten fuel-cell vehicles, electric cars, improved traditional fuel vehicles and hybrids powered by electricity, diesel, liquid propane and natural gas.

The ever popular Toyota Prius was presented by a number of different companies that modified it to run as a plug-in hybrid, on natural gas or other alternative fuels.

While Ford talks of different technologies, Toyota’s sales of electric-gas hybrid cars continue to grow. Unlike the Detroit manufacturer, Toyota officials believe that “hybrids are the technology of the future.” The Japanese automaker continues to explore different technologies that can be adapted to hybrid vehicles. Toyota has made a commitment to double its hybrid lineup by 2010 and, apparently, they will stand by it.

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