January 7, 2002

Detroit Auto Show
GM AUTOnomy
Futuristic fuel cell car has common platform with interchangeable bodies

Rick Wagoner(L), General Motors President and CEO and Dr. Larry Burns, Vice President of Advanced Technology vehicles pose next to the Autonomy, a concept designed from the ground up around fuel cell propulsion. Photo: Joe Polimeni/General Motors. Click image to enlarge

Detroit, Michigan - "We started with the premise, 'What if we were inventing the automobile today rather than a century ago? What might we do differently?'" said GM CEO, Rick Wagoner. "AUTOnomy is more than just a new concept car; it's potentially the start of a revolution in how automobiles are designed, built and used."

AUTOnomy is the first vehicle designed from the ground up around a fuel cell propulsion system and the first to combine fuel cells with x-by-wire technology, which allows steering, braking and other vehicle systems to be controlled electronically rather than mechanically.

According to Larry Burns, GM Vice President of Research and Development and Planning, the result is an entirely new vehicle architecture that is far greater than the sum of its innovative parts. With AUTOnomy, an almost endless variety of affordable, all-wheel-drive vehicles could be built from a limited number of common chassis - possibly as few as two or three - emitting only water from the tailpipe and using renewable energy.

"If our vision of the future is correct - and we think it is - AUTOnomy could reinvent the automobile and our entire industry. AUTOnomy is not simply a new chapter in automotive history. It is volume two, with the first hundred years of the automobile being volume one. The 20th century was the century of the internal combustion engine. The 21st century will be the century of the fuel cell."

Click image to enlarge

Since a fuel cell propulsion system is about twice as efficient at an internal combustion engine, a fuel cell vehicle could provide twice the fuel efficiency of a comparably sized conventional vehicle, and an optimized fuel cell vehicle like AUTOnomy would be even more efficient. The Precept concept that GM showed in 2000 projected over 100-mpg gasoline-equivalent for a full-size car. With AUTOnomy, even better results can be expected as designers explore the opportunities afforded by this unconstrained architecture.

With all of its propulsion and control systems contained within a six-inch-thick skateboard-like chassis, the vehicle body is freed from traditional design requirements. "There's no engine to see over," explained Wayne Cherry, GM Vice President of Design. "People could literally sit wherever they are comfortable. Drivers wouldn't have to sit in the traditional left-hand location. They could move to the centre of the vehicle or they could move much closer to the front bumper or further back. It will take a little getting used to, but it's maximum freedom, maximum space for people and their stuff. There wouldn't be foot pedals or a steering column. The body shape could be literally anything you want it to be."

This would lead to customized bodies and more individualized expression, Cherry said. In fact, a customer could lease multiple bodies and swap them out throughout the week, depending on their needs.

In developing nations, one chassis might be the common base for vehicles as diverse as luxury limousines or farm vehicles. In urban Asia, the platform might support a jitney bus; in rural Africa, it might be used as a reliable, environmentally friendly tractor.

The nerve centre of AUTOnomy's electrical system is a universal "docking port," or connection, at the centre of the "skateboard" chassis. The docking port creates a quick and foolproof way to connect all of the body systems - controls, power and heating - to the rolling chassis. Because computers and software control the x-by-wire systems, upgrades can be downloaded to improve vehicle performance or tailor handling to suit a particular brand character, body style, or customer preference.

AUTOnomy's "skateboard". Click image to enlarge

New technology confers added benefits From a safety perspective, the "skateboard" chassis creates an unusually low centre of gravity without sacrificing ground clearance. This gives it superior handling while resisting rollover forces, even with the tallest body attached. In a crash, the stiff chassis below the floor would absorb most of the crash forces, helping to prevent passenger compartment intrusion that can occur with today's internal combustion engines, steering columns and foot pedals.

Because of its x-by-wire controls, the driver has no pedals to operate, merely a steering guide - called X-Drive - that is easily set to a left, right or even centre driving position. This frees up the seating to be more flexible and comfortable. The interior floor is completely flat, creating more interior space, flexibility and accessibility.

"More than 100 years after the automobile's invention, only 12 percent of the world's population currently enjoy its benefits. The AUTOnomy concept, we believe, could be the foundation for extending the benefits of personal transportation to the remaining 88 percent of the world's population."

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