CES 2008: GM Making Green Cars? | from G4 TV - TheFeed

from G4 TV - TheFeed

During his keynote CES speech, General Motors chief executive Rick Wagoner said that by 2012, half the company’s cars will use Flex-fuel energy alternatives.

“All the factors point to a convergence of the automotive and electronics industries that is literally transforming the automobile,” he said.

A few hours earlier, General Motors vice president of the research and development centre Lawrence Burns told earth2tech.com that the industry needs to move to new fuel sources like hydrogen cells and ethanol because “the power grid has surplus power that equals 40% of the miles driven in the US.”

He noted that one of the most significant factors in fuel efficiency for cars is the weight of safety features. If technology could produce cars that don’t crash, the weight of a 4,000lb car could be cut to as little as 1,500lb.

Burns added that they are also working on solving other efficiency problems, such as late breaking, cruise control, and optimizing gas engines.

“One of the next big steps is to connect automobiles electronically to keep them from connecting physically,’ Burns said. “We are working our way up the technology ladder.”

How?

Why, a robot car, of course!

Seriously.

Guardian.co.uk: CES Keynote: Green Cars