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More on GM's New Fuel Cell Cars

Posted by michael on from the parallel-parking-skills-soon-to-be-obsolete dept.

Whispers_in_the_dark writes "Scientific American has an article about GM's approach to fuel cell based vehicles of the future. It appears that GM wants to build a common fuel cell based drive-by-wire chassis that it will mount the body panels, control systems, and passenger compartments. This would provide a great deal of flexibility and upgradability to the cars of the future. GM has even more details."

10 of 487 comments (clear)

  1. Spacious passenger compartment by warmcat · · Score: 5, Funny

    From the GM link: ''With its robust 42-volt electrical system, the car is configured to run any number of devices in the passenger compartment, from homes to entire farms.''

    um... what????

    1. Re:Spacious passenger compartment by scott1853 · · Score: 3, Funny

      What! No 220 outlets! Outrageous. What am I suppose to do if I want to wash and dry my laundry while driving? Somebody didn't think this design through.

    2. Re:Spacious passenger compartment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      obviously by 2005, GM will be producing SUVs which *can* fit entire farms in the passenger compartment :-)

  2. I can see it now... by goldspider · · Score: 5, Funny
    "This would provide a great deal of flexibility and upgradability to the cars of the future."

    ...case mods for cars. *sigh*

    --
    "Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
    1. Re:I can see it now... by ShavenYak · · Score: 3, Funny

      I remember 3rd party companies selling cool replacement panels to make your fiero extra-sexy.

      This must be some alternate definition of "sexy" of which I was not previously aware. The Fiero mods I remember looked like rejected ideas for Hot Wheels toys.

      --

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    2. Re:I can see it now... by Muad'Dave · · Score: 3, Funny
      Good point. I guess I should've put "sexy" in quotes...

      Speaking of car mods, have you seen some of the junk hanging off cars these days that is supposed to be "sexy"? Good lord!

      --
      Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
    3. Re:I can see it now... by jim3e8 · · Score: 5, Funny
      You know Quasimoto predicted all of this.


      I think you mean Nostradamus. Quasimodo did come up with the rear spoiler, though.

  3. Nice, but four wheels?? by jukal · · Score: 3, Funny
    It had to have four wheels, but pretty much everything else was open for consideration

    Why? We have seen one wheel cars before :)

  4. Compensation by Provincialist · · Score: 3, Funny
    If you hit a normal car hard enough to crack its engine block, the car will probably be totalled. That's not because of the high value of the engine, but because to get to the engine you'd have to screw up the frame and large sections of body paneling. I'm sure if you hit one of these cars at a similar speed (more than 15MPH, no matter how large a car you need to compensate for other shortcomings), the fuel cell will get screwed up, as well as the frame and large sections of body paneling.

    I find it hard to believe that fuel cells used in cars would be so fragile that they would "crack" from the jarring involved in going over a speed bump. These things contain hydrogen after all, which is MUCH more explosive than gasoline. But by all means go ahead and drive your Bonneville into a hydrogen explosion. Somehow I doubt your big car will menace these new cars any more than it already menaces the environment and everyone else on the road.

    later,
    Jess

    --
    I am programmed for etiquette, not destruction!
  5. Re:Mods for Cars by Zeinfeld · · Score: 3, Funny
    How come we choose from just two people to run for president and fifty for Miss America?

    Funny you should ask that, rumour has it that when the Miss North Carolina dispute reaches the supreme court that they are going to declare George W the winner again.

    On the mods for cars theme, am I the only person who finds the pick up trucks with the body jacked up a foot over the axles to look utterly ridiculous?

    The whole thing you want to get good handling is to make the chasis center of gravity as low as possible and the turning moment of inertia as low as possible. So sticking the chasis up on dork stilts is only going to make the thing steer like a cow.

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