WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- In the parking lot of a building squeezed between Interstate 80 and the Sacramento River, Kota Manabe did something at once as elemental as it was revolutionary: he topped off the tank of a sport utility vehicle.
The only suggestions that anything was out of the ordinary were the flame-retardant suit the Toyota engineer wore and the fuel he pumped into the Highlander: pure hydrogen.
''Basically, it's just like refueling at a normal station,'' fellow engineer Kyo Hattori said.
While hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, as an automotive fuel it's about as commonplace as moon travel. There are only two hydrogen filling stations in the entire state.
The futuristic SUV being tested at the California Fuel Cell Partnership is part of an international push to create cars and trucks that run more cleanly and efficiently than any in history. Fuel cells that power the vehicles combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity. They emit only water vapor and heat.
But the hydrogen-powered Highlander also exemplifies a critical problem faced by alternative vehicles: They may be friendly to the environment but they're a mystery to consumers.
That conundrum stems from several factors, including consumer uncertainty about performance and resistance to change by automakers. As a result, the spread of alternative fuel vehicles has been slow.
''The Big Three have often used future vehicles as an excuse not to produce current innovations -- it's the Wimpy approach, the 'I will gladly pay you Tuesday, but don't make us do anything today to increase fuel efficiency and in 10 to 20 years we will produce a much more efficient car,''' said Daniel Becker, director of the Sierra Club's global warming and energy program.
For decades, California has been at the forefront of the clean vehicle movement aimed at fighting smog and global warming while cutting dependence on oil. The innovations have been driven by California's Air Resources Board, which sets air quality standards independent of the federal government.
The board says its regulations have spawned innovations in fuel cells, hybrid cars and fuel efficiency to an extent automakers never thought possible.
Now, enterprises like the California Fuel Cell Partnership aim to help meet the state's zero emission mandate, which requires an increasing percentage of new cars and trucks to emit no pollution.
The mandate was to have taken effect next year, but auto manufacturers won a preliminary injunction in June that delays implementation for two years.
Alternative fuel vehicles are a big part of the mandate, but thus far the movement has failed to gain much speed. As of 2001, there were about 456,000 alternative-fuel powered vehicles licensed in the United States, including those that run on batteries, natural gas and ethanol, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Another 40,000 are hybrids, in which a gasoline engine is paired with an electric motor to boost fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. These numbers are dwarfed by the 210 million gasoline and diesel cars and trucks on the nation's roads.
Fewer than 6 percent of new U.S. cars and trucks get better than 30 miles per gallon, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2001, the weighted average of all new passenger cars and trucks was 20.4 mpg -- a 21-year low.
Auto manufacturers argue consumers don't want fuel-efficient vehicles.
''The fuel economy of our cars will be decided by consumers. They will choose the vehicles that suit them best,'' said Charles Territo, spokesman for the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers.
Surveys say 60 percent of car and truck buyers are interested in fuel economy but are unwilling to compromise on design and performance, said Thad Malesh, auto analyst with J.D. Power and Associates.
''What they are saying is, 'I still want my truck, I just want better mileage,''' Malesh said.
Despite all the challenges, cars and trucks have quietly become cleaner and more efficient.
New versions of the Honda Accord, Nissan Sentra and Toyota Prius hybrid are included in California's fleet of ''super low-emissions vehicles'' since they are 90 percent cleaner than the average new car. About 50,000 such vehicles have been sold or leased in California.
Some observers find that encouraging.
''There is going to be an explosion of choice for consumers,'' predicted John Boesel, president of transportation technology consortium Calstart. ''My neighbor will come over and say, 'John, I got a new car' and the natural question will be 'What fuel?'''
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday, September 18, 2002.