[originaltext] Interview with Peter Moore, the Chlef-Fngineer of O

Interview with Peter Moore, the Chlef-Fngineer of OPEL
Interviewer: The cars you are making today will come to the market in the year 2000. Will there be any fundamental changes?
Mr. Moore: No, the time is too short for such kind of changes. It takes 5 years at a minimum to develop a completely new car. For engines it takes even a longer time. The engine for one model usually serves for 15 or even 20 years, and there are only slight changes during this period. There is also a certain insistence on a big automaker’s mind that it should keep its characteristic style which makes its cars different. That is to say in spite of the changes an Opel still has to look like an Opel at least within several years’ time. That’s why there won’t be any revolutionary changes in the next few years. I would say it will only be a step by step evolution.
Interviewer: What are your major considerations in the development of a new car?
Mr. Moore: The first and most important thing is to lower the consumption of petrol. So that we will not only have an economical car, but also an environmentally friendly one. The active and passive safeties for the passengers are also very important. Last but not least, a car should be comfortable and provide all facilities for an enjoyable ride. I think building a car for the future with these considerations will lead us to success.
Interviewer: Yes, at the moment it seems to become increasingly important to make a car enjoyable. The cars are becoming faster and faster.
Mr. Moore: That’s right. Today a 100 HP-engine is more powerful than a 100 HP-engine 10 years ago. In this area, automakers really have achieved a great deal in increasing the efficiency of the engine.
Interviewer: But do we actually need faster cars? Our cities are almost totally blocked up with traffic; our highways are so crowded that at any time of the day it is impossible to drive fast. The average speed in the city during rush hours is only about 20 km an hour. Everyone on a bicycle could be faster than that.
Mr. Moore: But that is only the case during rush hours. On the highways, I think there are enough opportunities for you to drive fast. People do need to drive fast in certain occasions. Besides, driving fast is a lot of fun. The increased efficiency also brings about a positive effect. Today all our cars use considerably less petrol than only a few years ago. The average consumption of petrol for all Opel models ranges about 7.45 liters per 100 kilometers. It was even hard to imagine 10 years ago.
Interviewer: How are the chances for alternative fuels like hydrogen and electricity?
Mr. Moore: From the technical point of view alternatives like methanol or alcohol are no problem. But they are still too expensive and for this reason have no big chances. Regarding the hydrogen there still exist technical problems. The amount of hydrogen that can be carried on a car as its fuel is simply still too limited. As to the electro-car we should not forget that the electrical power has to be generated first. Here are the existing problems with the power-stations. Another problem is the weight. For carrying as much energy as what is contained in a 70-liter petrol-tank, we would need a battery weighing 2.5 tons. I’m sure the electro-car will continue to develop —we already have experimental electro-cars in use —but it’s impossible for them to play the main role in transport within the next few years.
Interviewer: What about solar energy? What do you think of the so-called "solaf-car"?
Mr. Moore: There is still a great deal of research to be done on the use of solar energy. Recently we conducted some tests in Australia where we covered a distance of 3,500 kilometers. But the average speed of the test car only reached 65 kilometers per hour. A petrol engine with the same capacity would have wasted only 0.8 liters of petrol per 100 kilometers —and this is done without any expensive petrol-saving accessory. That shows the strength of the petrol-engine.
Interviewer: in that case, is it still worthwhile then to carry out experiments on alternative energies?
Mr. Moore: They are a challenge for the fancies of our engineers and a contribution towards the development of new ideas. From this point of view they are very useful. But before long the petrol engine will show its strength. That is the reason why we cannot reckon on any cars with an alternative energy for the next century.