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There's a familiar ring to this 1966 video of GM's hydrogen ElectroVan

"What we need is fuel cells that can run on a hydrocarbon fuel and air." It can be fun and educational to revisit the past as we look into the future. While we do have cars that plug in today, the first big batch of hydrogen powered vehicles is not yet arrived (but the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell CUV is leading the way). The idea of hydrogen as a promising future technology was also true in 1960s, when General Motors made a promotional movie for the ElectroVan. Turns out, the future then shared more than a little with the future now. As you can see in the short promotional video below for the hydrogen-powered ElectroVan, a modified 1966 GMC HandiVan, a big hurdle in the mid 1960s was the difficulty of obtaining hydrogen fuel. GM offered a possible solution at the time: "Hydrogen and oxygen are expensive and impractical fuels for a car. What we need is fuel cells that can run on a hydrocarbon fuel and air." Unlike today's hydrogen fuel cell cars, the ElectroVan used liquid hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells to get a range of between 100 and 150 miles. Not bad for the first hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle in the world. GM tested the ElectroVan on the GM grounds before sending it into storage and then to the company's heritage center. For another view to the past, this time with some focus on electric vehicles, take a look at a video from the 1994 Chicago Auto Show, also available below. Twenty years ago, the green vehicle hype was on the Toyota EV-50 electric car, the solar-powered Honda EVX (and a solar Honda racing car) and a hydrogen-powered Mazda Miata. The announcer's enthusiasm is contagious, but as we all know, none of these vehicles ever made it to dealerships. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Chicago Auto Show, Bangshift via YouTube Green GM Toyota Technology Emerging Technologies Electric Hydrogen Cars Videos

The Civic goes hybrid, driving the Nissan Z Nismo and more | Autoblog Podcast #833

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. They discuss the refreshed 2025 Honda Civic and its new hybrid powertrain, a possible Ford Maverick sport truck, rumblings of a new Mitsubishi Delica, the continued growth of hybrid sales, the UAW's loss in Mercedes' Alabama plant, the VW ID.7 being delayed, Tesla Semi news and the BYD Shark headed to Mexico. They chat about Formula 1 for a moment before hopping into the reviews section. Zac's been driving the new 2024 Nissan Z Nismo, and Greg's been spending a bunch of time in the long-term 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #833 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown News 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid refresh Maverick sport truck on the way? Is Mitsubishi bringing a new Delica to North America? Hybrid sales are booming The UAW loses in Mercedes vote Volkswagen ID.7 delayed in North America Tesla Semi picks up more steam BYD Shark is headed to Mexico as a mid-size pickup Formula 1 catch-up Cars we're driving: 2024 Nissan Z Nismo 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV Long-Termer Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: Government/Legal Green Motorsports Podcasts Ford Honda Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mitsubishi Nissan Toyota Volkswagen Truck Crossover Hatchback SUV Electric Hybrid Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance Sedan Podcasts

Tokyo wants 6k fuel-cell cars from Toyota and Honda for 2020 Olympics

Japan aims to have greener cars on its roads in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the city government there is putting some serious money on the table to make sure that the transformation happens in time. The push could jump start sales of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) in the metropolis and would portray the Asian country as a leader in the cutting-edge tech. The city is setting aside 45.2 billion yen ($385 million) to offer subsidies for people buying FCEVs and to build 35 hydrogen refueling stations to keep them going, according to Bloomberg. The local government is in talks with Toyota and Honda to have 6,000 fuel cell vehicles on the road in time for the games. These generally expensive factors are often considered some of the biggest hurdles for the alternative fuel to take hold. Beyond the 2020 games, the Tokyo government has even more aggressive plans for the alternative fuel. The city's audacious goal is to have 100,000 FCEVs, 100 hydrogen-fueled buses and 80 refueling stations in the capital by 2025, according to Bloomberg. The city wants to offer FCEV buyers incentives as much as about 3 million yen ($25,325) with a third of that money coming from the Tokyo government and the rest from the national government, according to Bloomberg. Furthermore, subsides on building refueling stations could be as high as 80 percent in Tokyo, which puts costs more in line with building a traditional gas station. It appears that the demand is already building to make Tokyo's goal a reality. Toyota has received around 1,500 orders for the Mirai, according to Bloomberg. Although, the majority have come from the country's government or fleets. To meet the higher-than-expected demand, the automaker expanded its production facilities by adding two more assembly lines. The launch of Honda's latest FCEV was recently pushed back until March 2016, a year later than originally expected. Related Video: News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Shizuo Kambayashi / AP Photo Government/Legal Green Toyota Car Buying Alternative Fuels Emissions Green Driving Technology Emerging Technologies Hydrogen Cars Sedan toyota mirai tokyo olympics