Alternative Fuels and Vehicles Expo

On May 11, 2008, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline was about $3.72 a gallon. That was the date the four-day 2008 Alternatives Fuels and Vehicles National Conference and Expo opened in Las Vegas. On April 19, ‘09, the 2009 Alternative Fuels and Vehicles National Conference and Expo opened at Walt Disney World's Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, FL. And the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline is about $2.05. Might that result in a decline in interest in alternative fuels?

Commercial Fleet Focus
“I’ve seen nothing at GM that would suggest less of an emphasis on alternative fuels,” said Britta Gross, manager of hydrogen and electrical infrastructure commercialization for General Motors. “The best thing we can do is run full speed ahead.”


But from a consumer standpoint, maybe, illustrated by the large and growing inventory of gas-sippers and gas/electric hybrids at your local dealership. There weren’t many consumer-oriented exhibits or vehicles at the conference: Chevrolet did not bring its plug-in hybrid Volt, for instance, and Tesla, the electric sports-car builder, didn’t show up at all. Yet from a commercial standpoint, and that’s what the conference caters to, “It’s the same here as it was at least year’s conference,” said Gerald Koss, fleet marketing manager for Ford. “The major companies that operate fleets still see the benefit of cost-effective vehicles, regardless of the price of gasoline.”

Consumer Choices

Koss was speaking from the passenger seat of a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid demonstration car, presently en route to dealers. With EPA-rated mileage of 41 mpg (Ford is conducting a publicity event that should demonstrates that the Fusion Hybrid can go 1,000 miles on a tank of gas) the Fusion Hybrid, Koss said, has the dual appeal of working well as a consumer vehicle, and just as well as a fleet and commercial product. On electric power alone, Koss said, the Fusion Hybrid can travel up to 47 mph, which should attract delivery and transportation customers than spend most of their time in the city.


About two dozen alternative-fueled vehicles, including diesel-powered BMWs, the 2010 Toyota Prius and the compressed natural gas-powered Honda Civic, were available for test drives to the 2,000 or so in attendance. This was the 15th version of this annual conference, which is usually held in Las Vegas, as it will be again in 2010. About 100 exhibitors showed products ranging from high-pressure hydrogen fuel tanks to heavy-duty truck engines that operate on liquefied natural gas.