GM is lending vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells to drivers in LA and New York to see if the alternative technology works in the real world, the LA Times reports. In the largest such road test of its kind, GM will loan more than 100 of its expensive Chevy Equinox SUV's to drivers in exchange for feedback.
The technology faces hurdles, including price and the availability of hydrogen fueling stations. But when drivers "understand how easy they are to refuel, I think that will help dissuade a lot of people about the myths that surround hydrogen," said a GM director. Critics aren't so sure and say such vehicles are at least two decades away from widespread use—if they succeed at all. (More Chevrolet stories.)