Robert stamp, a voice for alternative energy sources

Robert c. Stamp, the former General Motors President and chief executive, who died on Saturday at 77, spent a turbulent two years on top of the country's largest car manufacturer, during which he cut jobs and closed plants in order to minimize company losses. However, for every car manufacturer that her experiments in alternative energy sources deepens, Mr. Stamp erfenis's as an auto industry seer has been strengthened.

Reuters/Rebecca Cook Robert Stamp

Mr. Stamp was an early proponent of alternative energy within G.M. and defended the EV1 electric vehicle program. The G.M. board, however, lost confidence in his leadership before EV1 ready for production, and the Lord Stamp, who is also health problems was, resigned in October 1992.

But while sourcing batteries for the proposed EV1, Mr. Stanford Ovshinsky Stamp befriended, the famous scientist credited with the invention of nickel-metal hydride batteries, thin-film solar panels and a long list of other technologies.

After leaving G.M., together with Mr Stamp Mr. Ovshinsky at his company, energy conversion devices, a manufacturer of batteries and photovoltaics. More recently, Mr. Stamp had, together with Mr Ovshinsky in two new companies: Ovshinsky innovation and Ovshinsky Solar. The two men hoped to greatly reduce the cost of solar energy while pursuing other related technologies.

"Mr. Stamp was a great partner, Mr. Ovshinsky said in a telephone interview."He went first my company, because he was in electric and hybrid vehicles believed. He was the most brilliant engineer I've ever worked with and more knowledge was in pure science than any other engineer I ever met. "

Mr. Ovshinsky said that he and Mr Stamp had worked to perfect a machine that enough solar material can produce in a year to generate a gigawatt hours of power, which, according to Mr. Ovshinsky, solar energy cheaper than coal. He added that they had recently completed the proof of principle for the machine.

"In his final days, Bob knew that we had achieved that goal, and he was very proud," said Mr. Ovshinsky. "He is a wonderful person, a great man. I wish he was here. "

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