As it did in the 19th and 20th centuries, France is focusing on leading-edge alternative-propulsion solutions for the automotive industry. France, with its history of innovative thinking and entrepreneurial spirit, long has nurtured inventors in the energy and automotive sectors. From Etienne Lenoir, the French inventor often credited with building the first practical internal-combustion engine to Rudolph Diesel and Andre Citroen, France now is creating an environment that stimulates and rewards transportation-related research and development. As it did in the 19th and 20th centuries, France is focusing on leading-edge alternative-propulsion solutions for the automotive industry. The French government has numerous incentive and incubator programs to stimulate development of emissions-free fuel-cell powerplants and hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs), the most promising powertrain technologies for a new generation of environmentally friendly transportation.
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