Since the year 2000, over 100 hydrogen car prototypes have been rolled out among the major manufacturers to the viewing public yet hardly a soul knows about them.
Ford, GM, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, BMW and others all have prototype future cars that they are now showing.
But, even though hydrogen car prototypes are hot right now, they are not the only game in town. Ever since General Motors crushed its EV1 cars and the "Who Killed the Electric Car" movie was made about it, there has been a resurgence in interest in electric cars, even by GM as they are expected to rollout a new electric car prototype sometime in 2007.
Tesla and Zap, who once had prototype future cars now have full production electric vehicles. Phoenix Motorcars in Ontario, California has also moved from the prototype future car arena to doing limited production on all electric sport utility trucks.
One of the more bizarre prototype future cars is the Kaz Limousine Eliica electric vehicle. This car is powered by a bank of lithium-ion batteries, has eight 55 kw electric motors and can accelerate to a top speed of 240 mph. Designed by 40 students at the Keio University in Japan this prototype future car hauls its assets faster than another other car in its class.
Now, how about a prototype future car that runs on air, you ask? The MDI air cars are just that. Touted as the world's cleanest cars, the MDI City-CAT and Mini-CAT (Compressed Air Techology) are also moving from the prototype stage and into production.
What about other prototype future cars using alternative fuels. Well, we've covered hydrogen, electricity and air, so what else does the future hold? How about nitrogen. Researchers at the University of North Texas have developed the CooLN2Car, which runs on liquid nitrogen. Like the other cars mentioned, this is also a zero emission vehicle that uses a cryogenic heat engine for power.
Of course, there are many prototype future cars that run on gasoline, ethanol or other biofuels, but what fun are they? The future is in alternative energy and the trend is prototype future cars is reflecting this trend as well.
