Publicly, most automakers are ducking the issue and emphasizing potential pitfalls of building hybrid cars with plugs, but pressure is mounting behind the scenes to give the idea some life... «Such development should have the highest research and development priority because it promises to
revolutionize transportation economics and to have a dramatic effect on the problems caused by oil dependence,» write George Shultz, former U.S. secretary of state, and James Woolsey, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, in a June position paper on oil and U.S. national security... They argue that battery development for plug - in hybrids «should for the time being replace the current research and development emphasis on automotive
hydrogen fuel cells.»
Fuel cells are important enabling technology for the
hydrogen economy and have the potential to
revolutionize the way we power our nation, offering cleaner, more - efficient alternatives to the combustion of gasoline and other fossil
fuels.