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November
2007
CHEVROLET
TESTS WORLD' S LARGEST FUEL CELL ELECTRIC VEHICLE FLEET
More Than 100 Petroleum - and Emissions-Free Vehicles
to Go to California, New York and Washington D.C.
by
Brad Beauchamp

Chevrolet
fuel cell electric vehicles will be seen on the streets
and driveways of Los Angeles, New York City and Washington
D.C., beginning today, in the largest market test ever
of its kind.
Customers
in suburban Los Angeles, New York City and Washington,
D.C. will begin driving more than 100 Chevrolet Equinox
Fuel Cell electric vehicles as part of a comprehensive
deployment plan dubbed "Project Driveway". It
constitutes the first large-scale market test of fuel cell
electric vehicles anywhere.
A variety
of drivers " from regular families to celebrities" will
have free use of an Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle
and the hydrogen fuel it needs to make electricity onboard.
The average family will get one of the vehicles for three
months and be required to report their experience to Chevrolet.
"These
families volunteered to be part of something big," said
Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. "They care about
the environment, and they want to help solve our nation'
s energy issues. They are pioneers, and we are pleased
they have joined our team.
"Drivers
will provide regular, candid feedback about their use of
the vehicle in their daily lives, the vehicle' s performance
and their personal preferences, which is key in defining
our product and market introduction plans for fuel cell
electric vehicles."
General
Motors Corp. will apply what it learns to the advancement
of electric drive vehicles. One example is the Chevrolet
Volt with GM' s E-Flex system. The "E" stands
for electricity; the "Flex" for the many ways
to make and store electricity on board. These technologies
reduce emissions, lessen the country's dependence on oil
and move toward sources of energy that can be replenished
or renewed –wind, solar, plants, geysers, waves or
even garbage.
"What
we learn will directly influence future electrically driven
vehicle generations and ultimate market acceptance,”said
Dan Hancock, GM Powertrain vice president, global engineering. " With
Project Driveway, GM is demonstrating its commitment to
electrically driven vehicles - whether the source of the
electricity comes from a lithium-ion battery or a hydrogen
fuel cell –as the answer for helping take the automobile
out of the environmental debate and reducing our dependence
on petroleum. The Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle demonstrates
an important milestone on our pathway to electrically driven
vehicle development."
Enabled
by GM' s fourth-generation fuel cell propulsion system,
the Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle is a fully functional
crossover vehicle. It is expected to meet all applicable
2007 U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and is
equipped with a long list of standard safety features including
driver and passenger frontal air bags and roof rail side-impact
air bags; anti-lock braking system (ABS); StabiliTrak stability
enhancement technology and OnStar.
Brad
F. Beauchamp is driver relationship manager - team leader,
Fuel Cell Activities, General Motors Corporation. See
more on page 26. More information on GM can be found
at www.gm.com
© 2008
NETWORKING® MAGAZINE
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