The 1966 GM Electrovan is credited with being the first hydrogen fuel cell car ever produced. Though fuel cells have been around since the early 1800's, General Motors was the first to use a fuel cell to power the wheels of a vehicle.
The vehicle was a 1966 GMC Handivan on the outside. Its insides were converted into a science lab of new technology that appeared more like a whisky still of old.
The Electrovan had a top speed of 70 MPH. It could accelerate from 0-60 MPH in 30 seconds and had a range of approximately 150 miles. Because of safety concerns, the Electovan was only used on company property.
After the GM Electrovan was built, tested and shown off to journalists in 1966, the project was scraped, largely because it was cost-prohibitive. The platinum used in the fuel cell was enough to "buy a whole fleet of vans" and there was absolutely no supporting hydrogen infrastructure in place at that time.
In the years since, GM has dabbled in fuel cell concepts and experimental vehicles, showing the HydroGen 1 minivan in 2001; the AUTOnomy concept in 2003; the Hy-wire concept in 2003; the Sequel CUV in 2005 and the Equinox Fuel Cell in 2007. GM has filed more fuel cell patents between 2002 and 2012 than any other automaker, and, as of July 2013, has entered into a cooperative agreement with Honda to develop fuel cell technology for future vehicles. Should these eventually overcome the obstacles standing between development and launch, perhaps the Electrovan will be remembered as the fuel cell vehicle that started it all.
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