EKOS Communications, Inc.

Considered by many as the “silver-bullet” for achieving sustainable transportation, hydrogen can be made from water and returns to water or water vapour as it is converted to electricity to power vehicles. There are numerous technological challenges which result in few vehicles being produced and those that are come with very hefty price tags running into the six and seven figures!

Still, these challenges have not stopped auto-manufacturers from pursuing hydrogen-fuel cell development. General Motors being one of the most recent to throw it’s hat into the ring.

Their freshly-minted Chevrolet Equinox was available at Globe for test-drives, and so I jumped at the opportunity. The engineer who headed up the team that developed the vehicle road along to answer my questions and probably to make sure that I didn’t run off with it!

The Equinox is what the Americans like to call a cross-over utility vehicle. To me, it’s a mid-size SUV.

In any event, it was quite the experience to take this baby for a spin. With sweaty palms and hyper-vigilance, provoked by the keen awareness that it is cost, I started the vehicle, eased it into the mid-afternoon rush-hour, and headed for a circle around Stanley Park, before returning to the convention centre.

What can I say of the driving experience? In most respects, it acted just as any ordinary class of vehicle with a few notable exceptions. The flick of the ignition key brought no throaty rumble to the ear. Only dead silence. In fact, had it not been for the flicker in some of the gauges, I won’t have known it had started. Rolling down the streets, the only sound comes from the tires. At the stop lights, I detected a low hum or buzz, which the engineer told me was the hydrogen injection system and that they would have this sound deadened before long.

The other thing I noticed was the incredible torque or power that the electric drive conveyed. Punching down on the accelerator brought an immediate lunge forward; however, the engineer told me that the vehicle, as it was presently configured, could only achieve a top speed of 160kms/hr (100 mph).

A few other facts about the vehicle, before you climb in with me.

The Equinox weighs in at 2,235 kg (2.2 tons)with a good portion of that coming from the hydrogen fuel cells and battery pack. There are three fuel cell tanks located under the rear floorboards which deliver a range of 260 - 320 kms (160 - 200 miles). Fuel economy is estimated at 15 kms per litre (35 miles per US gallon) for city and 20 kms per litre (45 miles per US gallon) for highway driving.

Problem is: hydrogen re-fueling stations are even more scarce than the vehicles, so you could find yourself readily stranded if you wander too far away from the few stations that currently exist.

And yes, there is still the issue of how the hydrogen is produced. Presently much of it comes from using hydro-electricity or coal. Neither ideal for lots of obvious reasons. The hope and vision is to use renewable energy, preferably solar, to produce it. But that’s still some years off.

Well, enough talk. Let’s go for a drive!