$ - Wednesday, November 22, 1989 - North Shore News WITH THE traditional gas-guzzling automobiles on the endangered species list, natural gas is — naturally enough — the next great alternative fuel. It will be followed closely, the evidence suggests, by the develop- ment of hydrogen-powered vehi- cles, which have so far not been delivered to the mass market because the problem of the expense involved in converting hydrogen into fuel has not been solved. Ir this area, a Solid Polymer Fuel Cell being developed by North Vancouver’s Ballard Technologies Corp., which con- verts chemical energy from hydrogen directly into electric power without any intermediate thermal or mechanical process, is at the cutting edge of worldwide efforts to solve the problem. Somebody is going to make a fortune out of this. And the rest of us are going to benefit by being granted access to a non-polluting energy source. Whether hydrogen itself neces- sarily constitutes the next big breakthrough or not depends on the pace of other developments, of course. One thing for sure, somewhere down the road looms the electric car. Serious research into electric vehicles didn't begin until the early seventies, in the wake of the OPEC oil crisis. Although the Canadian gov- ernment remains a non-starter in this area — as in all other areas of alternative fuels, thanks to misguided, short-term Tory budget-cutting — the U.S. Dept. of Energy is heavily involved in the development of electric vehicles — EVs, as they’re known to afi- cionados. Since 1980, the DOE has spent $194.4 million on electric vehicle development, which is obviously the American alternative of choice, since the entire budget in that period for research into other alternative fuels has only Pre-employment training available THE YMCA Employment Centre is now offering a 10-week pre- employment training program for income assistance recipients 17 and older who are experiencing dif- ficulties making a successful tran- sition into the work force. The program reflects the chang- ing needs of the North Shore community. Shirley Patterson, program director for the centre said, ‘‘We will be providing skill specific training to those clients interested in warehousing and clerical posi- tions."' Clients’ previous skills and oc- cupationai focus will be taken into account when considering clients for this component of the pro- gram,"’ she said. ‘Providing clients with up-to-date computer training will greatly enhance their chances of being hired.”’ Special emphasis will be given to single parents and their specific employment needs and barriers. Said Patterson: ‘‘The plight of the single parent is so critical and desperate that we are actively in- vestigating the possibility of establishing an under-three’s, in- house day-care program within the centre.”’ For further information call the YMCA Employment Centre at 985-2214 or drop into the centre at 972 Marine Drive, North Van- ‘couver (across from Capilano Mall). amounted to.$26.2 million. Among the factors favoring EVs is their relative quietness, but more importantly the fact that they do not emit any exhaust whatsoever. The Japanese, as you might ex- pect, are likewise spending huge amounts of moaey on similar de- velopment programs. EYs are perfect for urban use, partially because they have a limited range, but also because they would contribute tremendous- ly to the reduction of smog. If the number of EVs on the market so far is relatively small, it is for two main reasons: first, the problem of batteries, and second, the fact that such vehicles have been produced so far in small numbers, and so the economies of scale haven't kicked in. The battery problem may be licked sooner than expected. In New York, an elec- tric-powered van is being run for the hydro authcrity by an outfit called Powerplex Technologies, us- ing a sodium-sulphur battery. As for the economics of such a development, the coming stringent new regulations governing carbon dioxide emissions mean that the cost of running a gasoline-burning car is going to soar. Anything in competition with gasoline is going to look a lot better by comparison. Another preview of the future was glimpsed this summer during the fizst Canadian Solar Cup race between Toronto and Montreal, when five solar-powered vehicles made haste while the sun shone. The cars, at this stage of the evolution, are odd-looking, to say the least. They looked like go-carts, overhead solar panels equipped with silicon cells giving them a hybrid single-seat biplane appear- ance. Yet for all their ungainliness, one of them achieved a speed of 70 —_ NATIONAL TEAM PRO : wo” Incredibly versatile high performance ski far __long and short radius turns at high speed. It does everything you ask with such ease and confidence you font believe it's a world class rac- ing skit RX12 MAGNESIUM EXCLUSIVE © Racing performance witht comfort. Magnesium Exclusives’ top surface and sidewalls are protected from day to day damage with Kastle’s searnless DIGITAL ORD Tech Covering. 1845 MARINE DRIVE, WEST VANCOUVER 569 Seymour, Van. 669-6333 _ + Nancy Greene’s Lodge, Whistler 932-1975 + mph, and they covered the distance in just under three days. The key to solar power remains the batteries, not the design. There are a number of batteries available internationally, including Jead- acid, iron-nickel, nickel-zinc, zine-chloride, zinc-bromide, sodi- um-sulphur and aluminum-air. The most promising, however, is the BETA battery, used to power the ETX-II solar van, jointly designed by Ford and GM, which has a range of 150 miles per charge. The failure of the effort to sell propane-powered cars in the mid- seventies damaged the whole con- cept of alternative fuels, but this hasn’t stopped researchers from experimenting with methanol and ethanol, neither of which is quite as promising as solar, electric, hydrogen or natural gas. Yet, as regulations bite into pet- roleum, these possibilities begin to look a lot better, too. Ethanol, for instance, is basically corn liquor, a renewable resource. With Ameri- can corn production standing at 7.5 billion bushels a year, the ad- vantages — in a real ecological crunch — are ob’ ‘ous. Mohawk Oil C-. of Vancouver already produces 8.5 million litres of mostly wheat-based ethanol every year, which it uses as a five per cent blend in its service sta- tions. It is estimated that ethanol could cut poliution from hydrocarbons by as much as 50 per cent in large cities. Methanol, a natural gas-alcohol derived from coal, has a habit of eating =\vay at metal pipes, but has been used successfully in West Germany and California. Experi- mental methanol-powered buses are on the roads in Medicine Hat and Winnipeg. Like ethanol, it reduces the amount of pollution considerably. 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