GM Electrovan had a 50-year head start
In 1966, a team of engineers built the first car with a fuel cell drive in just 10 months. The basis was a standard van from the General Motors construction program and the technology from NASA's space program was transferred to a worldly vehicle from the GMC range.
The technology was so extensive and bulky that in the end only one driver and two passengers could sit in the full-size bus.
In October 1966, the GM Electrovan was demonstrated at a press conference. It ran. But it would be decades before the technology was ready for series production. Honda FCX Clarity, Hyundai ix35 FCEV or Toyota Mirai are the names of fuel cell cars that could or can be bought in the new century, but real large-scale production is still a long way off.
50 years after the introduction of the GM Electrovans, the American pioneer in fuel cell development is now showing the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 military vehicle, which is intended to test the advantages of the fuel cell in military applications.
Over the last 50 years since the introduction of the GM Electrovan, General Motors has already covered almost five million kilometers with fuel cell vehicles and invested many millions in the development of the technology.
