Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 21, 1994 TAG: 9410220054
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The alliance with GE will help Virginia become a leader in electric-vehicle research, development and manufacturing, said Joseph G. "Skip" Baker, vice chairman of Baker Equipment Engineering Co. of Richmond.
The Baker ElectroMotive division unveiled a full-size pickup truck, the EV100, last month at an electric vehicle exposition in Richmond. The truck was at the GE Drive Systems plant in Salem this week for testing.
GE's relationship with Baker began in May, according to Lenny Stann, GE's manager of electric-vehicle sales. The Baker vehicle, however, is not GE's first electric vehicle venture.
Since 1959, GE has been involved in more than 20 electric-vehicle projects. The company is working with Ford Motor Co., Bus Industries of America in New York and Spartan Motors of Charlotte, Mich., on electric-vehicle development.
GE sees its future as a supplier. "What we want to be is electric-vehicle component makers," Stann said.
GE spokesman Michael Allee described the number of people in Salem involved in electric-vehicle research as "a handful," declining to give an exact number. At this point, the company's electric-vehicle involvement still is in the development stage, he said. Electric vehicles will not significantly boost employment in Salem until they catch on as alternatives to gas-powered vehicles, he said.
Baker said his company chose GE over Westinghouse and GM-Hughes for a number of reasons, including the reputation of its Salem work force, the company's proven track record as an electric-vehicle supplier, and its progress toward achieving certification under international quality standards.
GE in Salem makes a controller that converts battery current and regulates the speed of the electric motor in the Baker truck. Direct current from the truck's bank of 27 12-volt batteries must be changed to alternating current to operate the pickup's 100 horsepower motor, which is made at a GE plant in Fort Wayne, Ind.
AC motors provide more horsepower than DC motors for the same size and weight and require less maintenance, Stann said. The motors are connected directly to the truck's driveshaft. The truck requires no transmission, muffler or clutch, and never needs an oil change.
The Baker full-size pickup gets an average of 60 miles per battery charge, but research into new types of batteries eventually may increase that range. The truck has a half-ton cargo capacity, not including the weight of two passengers. A recyclable battery pack should last through two to three years of recharging.
GE thinks it has moved the development of electric-vehicle power trains "fairly far along," Stann said. The company's research now is focusing on reducing the cost of the equipment.
The Baker truck's top highway speed is 75 mph, but electric vehicles get better mileage at lower speeds. When sitting at a stop light, for instance, they use no energy. And when braking, the motor turns into a generator and recharges the batteries.
A concern for the effects of auto emissions on the environment is helping stimulate interest in electric vehicles. California, for instance, has ordered that 2 percent of all vehicles sold there must be electric vehicles by 1998. The 1992 federal Energy Policy Act says 30 percent of the vehicles bought for utility company fleets after 1996 must be powered by alternative fuels.
Baker plans to build 1,500 electric-powered trucks next year, as many as 2,500 a year later, and 4,000 yearly by 1998 after new California air-pollution standards take effect.
Baker said it has no competitors for its full-size pickup. The trucks initially will sell for $30,000, but the price should drop to between $18,000 and $23,000 within 18 months, Baker said. A Virginia Power study shows the lifetime costs of a $30,000 electric pickup, because maintenance is lower, are equal to those of a conventional gasoline-powered pickup, he said.
Baker decided to get into the electric-vehicle business this year after Virginia Power, a longtime Baker customer, asked the company if it wanted to become an electric-vehicle supplier.
The electric utility industry overall is interested in electric vehicles both to meet the regulatory requirements for their own vehicle fleets and as a potential source of increased sales of electricity.
Appalachian Power Co. of Roanoke has no electric vehicles in operation, company spokesman Don Johnson said. Apco's parent, American Electric Power of Columbus, Ohio, will be coordinating the purchase of electric vehicles for Apco and other AEP companies, he said.
by CNB