General Motors has dropped its EV1 electric car from production, announcing yesterday that it is shifting its focus to vehicles powered by hybrid fuel-electric systems and fuel cells. At the North American International Auto Show yesterday, the company unveiled a fuel-cell version of its Precept concept car that gets 108 miles to the gallon. GM and other automakers have pledged that by 2004 they will produce fuel-cell cars ready for the market. Meanwhile, Ballard Power Systems this week unveiled a new fuel cell that’s smaller and cheaper than earlier models and that takes up the same amount of space as a traditional car engine. Ballard’s stock surged on the news.
