More on GM's New Fuel Cell Cars

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."

Comments

Wired had an article a couple of months back

[blindbat]

Wired had an article a couple of months back:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.08/fuelcel lc ars.html?pg=1&topic=&topic_set=

Make Fuel Cells Open Source

[Lieutenant_Dan]

If we allowed the Open Source developer community complete access to this new electrifying technology they would be able to improve efficiency dramatically.

There is a lot of knowledge and talent contained in the Open Source developer community that remains untapped and that could be used to improve a lot of business and industrial infrastructure, such as mass transportation, refinery, and handicrafts.

Only when we unleash the power of the Open Source developer community can we lift the monopoly that Kia has on the automotive industry in Singapore.

From GM's site

[Suidae]

"In developing nations, one chassis might be the common base for vehicles as diverse as luxury limousines or farm vehicles."

I find this amusing, how many farmers in developing nations will be able to afford this cutting edge technology to use as 'farm vehicles'?

"The unit is intended to last for years, much longer than a conventional vehicle."

Oh, another good one. Here they are admitting that todays vehicles are not intended to last for years.

"The nerve center of AUTOnomy's electrical system is a universal "docking port," or connection, at the center of the "skateboard" chassis."

How much you want to bet they use a huge mass of wires with a custom connector of some sort instead of a nice, simple ethernet connection?

"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."

Thats one hell of a passenger compartment.

Re:Drive by wire steering? Not in my car pal!

[Provincialist]

engine: if this stops functioning, I soon will be going less than 65MPH

brakes: powered, but like steering still work very effectively without the engine running

airbags: so I'm going to get in a wreck at the same time that the very simple IC that controls the airbags somehow gets fried? I guess I should be wearing my seatbelt then.

Steering-by-wire will be very complicated. They have it on planes, it has to serviced continuously, and planes stay at least 1.5 miles from all obstacles at their altitude, as opposing to regularly passing within inches of other planes. The economics and technology of that do not transfer to automobiles.

later,
Jess

Re:Drive-By-Wire

[digitalgiblet]

>>How often to you see computerized life-support systems crash?

Once per user...