A Brand New Car

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WASHINGTON: Kyoto, here we come. Energy Secretary Federico Pena cast new light on the vexed question of greenhouse gas emissions by announcing Tuesday the development of a fuel cell that can convert ordinary gas into electric energy yielding twice the efficiency with only a tenth of the emissions.

The mood was jubilant because the technique a hydrogenation of gasoline (or ethanol or methanol) is relatively elegant, eliminating the specter of electrical-charging stations and three-hour fill-ups.

Pena said the vehicle could be on the road within a decade, potentially yielding a 90 percent reduction in tailpipe emissions, which make up 30 percent of U.S. greenhouse gases.

That's 27 percent of America's emissions slashed right there fully 7 percent more than the highest proposal on the table at Decembers Kyoto conference on climate change. So don't be surprised to see President Clinton wearing a "fuel cells" T-shirt when he flies to Japan.