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Who needs gas? He's running on hydrogen

Our reporter test drives the fuel-cell Chevrolet SUV that GM is developing.

Register auto writer John Gittelsohn is test driving a hydrogen-powered Chevrolet Equinox SUV. Read what's it feels like behind the wheel of a non-gas diamond guzzling eco car.

photo: KATE LUCAS

For the next two days, I'll be test driving a hydrogen-powered 2008 Chevrolet Equinox SUV. It's one of several experimental vehicles under development by General Motors as the Detroit auto giant tries to prepare for a future when its gas guzzlers go the way of dinosaurs. Here are my impressions:

It looks and feels pretty much like a regular gas guzzling SUV, except it's decorated with decals saying "H20," "FUEL CELL" and "ZEROemissions."

Turn the key and the only way you know the engine is running is by the lights on the dashboard. There's a screen on the center of the dashboard that shows how hydrogen fuel flows into the engine, creating energy. Instead of emissions, cartoonish blue dots stream toward the four tail pipes. The only "exhaust" is water.

Pop the shifter it into drive and you can't hear anything, except the whir of rolling tires and the whisper of the wind.

From the Register's parking lot, I took it for a quick spin onto the I-5 Freeway, heading south. For once, because this is a green car, I can take advantage of the carpool lane, if I were driving solo. For me, that's one of the major attractions for an eco car -- getting to drive fast. But I was traveling with a two other people from work and one from General Motors, so we qualified for the diamond lane legally no matter how you cut it.

The Equinox accelerates smoothly, even with the added weight of extra passengers. There's no transmission, so the acceleration occurred without shifting through gears. You can't see the engine -- it's just an electric motor anyway, so there isn't much to look at.The Equinox's manual says it goes 0-60 in 12 seconds. I counted outloud when we rolled onto the freeway and it seemed like we reached 60 mph in less time.

Todd Goldstein, the "Vehicle Responsible Engineer" who served as my instructor on the intricacies of the Equinox, said the engine produces 93 kilowatts, which is comparable to about 125-130 horsepower.

The Equinox's three fuel tanks -- manufactured by Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc. of Irvine -- pack enough compressed hydrogen to travel about 200 miles.

I don't plan on driving that far over the next couple of days. One of the dashboard features shows how many miles you're getting per kilo of hydrogen. During most of my short drive, I was getting more than 50 miles a kilogram.

Goldstein said a kilo of hydrogen is roughly equivalent to a gallon of gasoline when it comes to energy -- so that seems pretty fuel efficient -- 50 miles a kilo.

I took the Equinox for another spin in the afternoon. The cartoon image of its fuel system gets boring pretty fast. I prefer to play around with the XM satellite radio. I was trying to find a good station as I whisked along the 55 Freeway. Then I noticed that the traffic ahead -- even in the carpool lane -- had ground to a halt.
I can report this: The brakes work very well.

I'm happy to report that photographer, Kate Lucas, was wearing her seat belt.