General Motors Hy-wire

The General Motors Hy-wire is a hydrogen fuel cell concept car that General Motors introduced in January 2002. Its name, short for hydrogen drive-by-wire, was suggested by a school child after GM asked children to name it. The car has no mechanical link between driver and wheels: steering and throttle are electronic, and the fuel cell, hydrogen tanks and single electric motor are packaged in a flat skateboard chassis. Because the whole drivetrain lives in that skateboard, different bodies such as a sedan, a minivan or a small bus could in principle sit on the same platform. The fuel cell delivers 94 kilowatts continuously, and the vehicle reaches 160 kilometres per hour.