General Motors will soon put fuel-cell SUVs in the hands of 100 lucky consumers. You could be one of them

Free Hydrogen-Powered Cars for Good Homes
General Motors will soon put fuel-cell SUVs in the hands of 100 lucky consumers. You could be one of them

Courtesy GM Corp.
EARLY RETIREMENT The hydrogen fuel cell in the Chevy Equinox is engineered for a life of about 49,700 miles.

You still can't walk into a dealership and buy a hydrogen-powered car, but if you live in Orange County, California, Westchester County, New York, or Washington, D.C., where it's easiest to find a hydrogen filling station, you may be able to borrow one for a couple years. Starting this month, in what will be the largest real-world test of fuel-cell passenger vehicles, GM's Project Driveway program is seeking good homes for 100 fuel-cell versions of its Equinox SUV. (Honda, by contrast, has leased just two of its FCX fuel-cell cars to customers.)

As with other fuel-cell vehicles, the Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell combines hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, with water vapor as the sole by-product-no smog-forming emissions, no greenhouse gases. Each Equinox stores nine pounds of hydrogen at 10,000 pounds per square inch; 2.2 pounds contain roughly the energy equivalent of a gallon of gasoline. At 50 mpg, the Equinox will travel about 200 miles on a tank. And if you're worried about H-bomb fender-benders, breathe easy: The car is designed to meet all highway safety standards.

GM has yet to decide who will test the futuristic machines, which cost up to $1 million to build, but says that drivers will pay next to nothing, in exchange for their feedback. Interested? Check out chevrolet.com/fuelcell.

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