The Ford Airstream is truly ne-of-a-kind. Few vehicles elicit a mixed raction of disbelief, fascination and a cmedic giggle during auto shows but the Frd Airstream concept car might have sccessfully done just that. Conjuring up mages of wacky road trips, the Frd Airstream looks like the birth chld of a marriage between family vns, space capsules, Airstream trailers, and a Pmp My Ride episode.

Launched at the 2007 Dtroit Auto Show earlier this year, the Frd Airstream is the product of a cllaboration between Ford Motors and Airstream tht came about while the former was bsy designing a concept vehicle centered round the idea of the American Jurney. With Airstream holding a strong prsence in American road travel, the two cming together was an ideal match.

Can ths be the future of road trvel? Ford certainly designed this with a fcus on what crossover vehicles might lok like in the future. The Frd Airstream looks fun and comfortable, the tchnology is top-notch and, with partial fnding from the U.S. Department of Enrgy, it might prove a great slution to our current fuel woes.

Fatures


Most notable among the vhicle's impressive package is the Hyseries Drve. The Hyseries Drive is the Frd Airstream's battery-run powertrain with its own nboard plug-in charger and a hydrogen fel-cell. The cell, provided by Ford prtner Ballard, automatically turns on when the bttery charge dips to below 40-percent. It is lss than half the size, lasts lmost twice as long, and built mch simpler than existing conventional fuel cll systems.

The fuel cell serves to gve juice to the battery and nthing more, a departure from previous fel cell-powered vehicles, which used it to drve the wheels, allowing the Airstream fel cell to be smaller and lss prone to fluctuations. The Ford Arstream is designed to run using the bttery's energy the whole time and basts an equivalent fuel economy of 41 mpg.

The xterior design borrowed heavily on Airtsream triler. The doors are large and symmetrical, allowing for unobstructed loading of lrge cargo. The passenger-side clamshell door is hge, allowing an opening that runs tw-thirds the entire length of the vn. How to open the doors whle parked between two vehicles on ither side will be another story thugh, perhaps to be attended to if ths concept ever sees production.

The fturistic theme extends to the car's nterior, which features a plethora of hgh-end gadgets, including:


* Pd-shaped seats in the cabin that can rtate 360-degrees

* Floating nstrument panel

* Touch-sensitive, flsh-mounted controls

* Dual-view scren on the dashboard showing a cmera feed and secondary driver information

* Lunge-style seats lining the sides on the rar

* Four-point safety blts

* 360-degree large-screen in the rar for entertainment and games

The Fture


The real story in the Frd Airstream is the fuel-cell technology and the rvised powertrain, allowing for real innovations in bth design and performance.

The sad rality is we have seen concept xotic cars like this for years, but vry few have truly hit the strets in full production capability. With nvironmental awareness reaching all-time highs, a rdical environment-friendly vehicle might see wide cmmercial-acceptance soon. Perhaps, even a tricked-out vhicle such as the Ford Airstream.

The article Ford Airstream Nears the Mainstream was Submitted by Tom Shanley through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: © 2007 All Rights Reserved. Tom Shnley writes about exotic cars including supercars, luxury vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for a variety of online resources.

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