Which Way, L.A.?

Electric Vehicles and the Power Crisis

Tomorrow, the California Air Resources Board will consider whether, in light of the energy crisis auto manufacturers should still be required to produce electric cars. The industry is using the shortage to challenge the mandate, calling the vehicles a niche market. What does the future hold for zero- and low-emission vehicles in California - and the nation? We hear from representatives of the auto industry and a private company that rents zero- and low-emission vehicles, an environmentalist, a historian who's written on clean-air vehicles - and a woman who drives one! Newsmaker: On-Line Auction for Energy Providers - Gov. Davis has accepted sealed bids from producers for contracts he hopes will stabilize power supplies by locking in long-term prices. With wholesale prices of up to 30 cents per kilowatt-hour, Davis is seeking bids of no more than 5-1/2 cents. Gary Ackerman is executive director of the Western Power Trading Forum, a consortium of energy producers. Reporter's Notebook: Tracking Utilities' Profits in Midst of Power Crisis - Utility companies may be going bankrupt now, but even in the early days of deregulation they were swimming in windfall profits. What happened to all that money? The Los Angeles Times' Michael Hiltzik tries to simplify the complex world of "utilities' economics" for us.