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Hy-wire designed for green role
DUDENHOFEN, Germany -- General Motors is looking at introducing two world firsts with their latest prototype -- an environmentally-friendly hydrogen fuelled car that allows drivers to change the body design according to their mood. The Hy-wire, named for its combination of hydrogen and drive-by-wire technology, is an alternative to gasoline or diesel fuel. And because just one wire connects the chassis, which contains all the electrical controls, to the car body, substitute body designs can be swapped whenever the driver feels like a change. Chris Borroni-Bird, GM Hy-wire project director, told CNN's Chris Burns: "The beauty of hydrogen is that it can be made from electricity and water and electricity can be made form natural gas or renewable energies like solar cells. "Although hydrogen is explosive, it is safer than gasoline or diesel fuel for the simple reason that if the tank should leak hydrogen, it's going to want to go very rapidly into the atmosphere. It's so much lighter than air."
The drive-by-wire technology, found in most aircraft, uses electronics to operate the vehicle instead of cables, gears and hydraulics, so there is no engine, instrument panel or foot pedals above the car's floor. Drivers will use a videogame-style controller, called the X-drive, to operate the vehicle. "The driver can accelerate by twisting a motorbike-style hand grip with either the right or left hand and brakes by squeezing, which is an intuitive thing to do," Borroni-Bird said. And if you get tired of the way the car looks, you can change it anytime you want because everything that propels the vehicle and controls the way it behaves is inside the chassis. Because a single wire connects the body to the chassis, the shell is easily removed. Hy-wire is not scheduled for release until 2010, but it will be introduced to the public at the Paris Motor Show on September 26. "It is a significant step towards a new kind of automobile that is substantially more friendly to the environment and provides consumers with positive benefits in driving dynamics, safety and freedom of individual expression," Borroni-Bird said. -- CNN's Chris Burns contributed to this report
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