The Future of Transportation Clean Air Vehicle Fair comes to Santa Cruz Brian Michelsen City Desk T he city of Santa Cruz got a glimpse into the future of transportation during the County's First Clean Air Vehicle Fair. Held at the Santa Cruz Farmer's Market last Wednesday, the fair showcased electric cars and bicycles, Compressed Natural Gas and hybrid vehicles, as well as alternative public transportation providers. Many shoppers from the Farmer's Market had not heard about the fair ahead of time, but were attracted to the unique-looking automobiles. Drivers can recharge the battery at night, which can take up to six hours. Some are skeptical about the future of electric cars due to their limited driving range.
Hybrid automobiles combine highly efficient gasoline-powered engines with electric motors.
The Santa Cruz Metro bus service expects to convert completely to CNG busses within the next few years. According to Les White, General Manager of Santa Cruz Metro, the biggest obstacle to conversion is the current lack of a CNG refueling station. But with the anticipated opening of a Metro-Base in November of 2002, this problem will be solved. According to handouts at the fair, CNG is both cheaper and more environmentally safe than gasoline, and each new CNG bus will reduce emissions by .85 tons per year. If Soltrain is able to gather enough interest from private investors, the county might begin to see this noiseless, pollution-free, light rail service between Santa Cruz and Watsonville within the next few years.