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product-related research on advanced powertrains,materials, and so forth,manufacturing technologies to match the new vehicle concepts, andthe total transport picture, including the integration of the vehicle into a multimodal transport system.Total finding for the proposed EUCAR program is estimated at ECU 2,430 million over five
years, of which about ECU 570 million (about $715 million) is estimated to involve projects of a
specifically automotive nature. Although the goals of the Master Plan bear some resemblance to
the PNGV goals, the plan describes research that is not so close to the market (with no mention
of a timetable for prototype vehicle development, for instance) and broader in scope
(encompassing such issues as worker training and broader “sustainable transportation” concerns).
EU officials indicated to OTA that only a fraction of these projects would be funded, and that
the primary source of finding would be the five-year Framework IV program, which is currently
soliciting proposals.
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To stimulate R&D on advanced vehicles using traction batteries, the EU has announced,
beginning in 1995, a Task Force called “Car of Tomorrow” that will pursue the following
objectives:
identify research priorities in consultation with industry, including small companies and users,ensure coordination among R&D programs of the EU and with other national and international
initiatives, andencourage the use of additional financial resources (e.g., venture capital) for advanced automotive R&DFrance
France is considered by many observers to be a promising market for advanced vehicles,
particularly EVs. One official cited three reasons that France, as opposed to the United States in
general (and California in particular), offers greater market opportunities for EVs: more compact
urban areas result in shorter commute distances; 90 percent of electricity generation in France is
nuclear or hydro, so that power plant emissions associated with EV use are low; and gasoline is
expensive. 19