cts | Volt a Day | Gorgeous Technology September 13, 2010

Back in 2002 GM unveiled the Hy-Wire hydrogen-powered car. It was never going to go into production, but it was very interesting for a number of reasons. The first was that it represented a new way of thinking about manufacturing cars. The chassis of the car was like a thick (11") skateboard. The batteries (and hydrogen fuel cell) and *all* of the mechanics of the car were in this thick piece. The passenger compartment was then bolted on and a single electric/electronic connection was made between they two. The assembly of that last piece was described as taken thirty minutes.

So the skateboards would be rolled off a single assembly line and the passenger compartments could vary widely, from luxury two seaters to minivans and pickup trucks.

One of the features that I was most fascinated by was actually an offhand remark by a GM executive at an EV1 event where they were showing off the concept. He said that in China, where power generation and the power grid were still quite primitive, a farmer could have the skateboard set up as a farm truck and at night could park the fuel cell in his garage and connect his house to it. So it would continue creating power into the night. What a cool idea.

This is the Chevy Volt version of the skateboard. Obviously, it's not the same idea. (The Hy-Wire was severely under-powered and the four electric motors (one in each wheel) were apparently not enough to give it any real zip.) It is too bad that some of the drive-by-wire technology was not retained, because it allowed the car real flexibility for foreign markets and for changes in the design of the rest of the vehicle.

Apparently Gm is already hard at work on other cars that use the Volt drivetrain and battery system, including something as large as an SUV. I have to admit that I see a lot to like in the bare-naked view of the technology under the car.