(Crossposted at EcoFabulous)
It's doubtful that you would consider the Chevy Equinox a luxury vehicle (it is more of a tough little SUV)... but what they're doing with it is pretty ambitious and potentially appealing. Starting next fall, the folks at Chevrolet are doing a test-market of an all-electric vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells. This is the same power system as the definitively cool Chevy Sequel concept car. It is capable of 750 pounds of passenger/cargo payload, can travel 200 miles between recharges, and cruise at speeds of 100 mph (note to Mel Gibson: don't try this in Malibu). Unlike hybrids, no gasoline is involved - hydrogen unites with oxygen in the cells to make H2O. Power goes to the wheels, and the tailpipe spews out nice, clean water vapor. Of course, the hydrogen has to be generated at a plant somewhere and there are lots of questions about that, so this anything but a perfect system; but it sure could help improve the air quality in U.S. cities.
And speaking of cities... if you live in metropolitan NYC, DC or Southern California, you're eligible for this fall's test-market. Register on the website, and you could be one of the lucky Top Guns to put these cutting-edge vehicles through their paces on your daily commute. Hopefully this is not just another distraction by major vehicle manufacturers.
No comments:
Post a Comment