May 22, 2007: General Motors, one of the leading automakers in making environmentally friendly vehicles, has yet again made history in the pages of fuel cell technology.

GM’s Chevrolet Sequel became the very first electrically-driven fuel cell to achieve 300 miles in just one tank of hydrogen; and this was achieved in traffic on public roads.

This had opened new doors in the commercialization progress of hydrogen fuel cell cars.

So it can be done! It is now just a matter on how quickly the technology can be made affordable.

First introduced in 2005, the Sequel was also the first vehicle in the world to successfully integrate fuel cell propulsion system with a broad menu of advanced features and technologies: steer-and brake-by-wire controls, wheel hub motors, lithium-ion batteries and a lightweight aluminum structure. Using only renewable hydrogen fuel, it only emits water vapor. Now it is the first fuel cell vehicle to achieve real-world range.

“With this drive, General Motors has reached another important milestonetoward the commercialization of our fuel cell vehicles, by achieving the range expected by today’s consumers,” stated Larry Burns, GM vice president, research & development and strategic planning. ”And we did it while producing zero emissions, as a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle only emits water. In addition, the hydrogen produced at Niagara Falls, used to fuel Sequel, was derived from hydropower — a clean, renewable resource. This means that the entire process — from the creation of the hydrogen to the use of the fuel in the vehicle — was virtually carbon dioxide (CO2) free.”

General Motors has proven that, what was then a radical and futuristic idea, is real and highly sustainable.