Ford Engineer Unveils Gasoline-Free Car

The Ford HySeries Edge is the first car to run on both electricity and hydrogen. While its lithium battery generates electricity, the fuel cell extends the vehicle’s range to hundreds of miles. Ford Motors' manager of fuel-cell engineering, Mujeeb Ijaz, explained how it works on “Morning Call.”

“This vehicle allows you to commute on electricity and travel on hydrogen,” Ijaz said. “So we would need hydrogen on a highway basis, but not necessarily hydrogen at every corner.” Unlike a conventional car, it doesn't have to be refueled since it can be plugged in at night.

Another plus: the car is relatively quiet, since it converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and water vapor. Ijaz described another advantage: “It drives similar to the Ford Edge, but the difference is, you’ll feel it doesn’t have a transition, so there’s no shifting.”

However, there is a downside: “We need to deal with how to avoid water from freezing in the wrong places, “ Ijaz said. “We are struggling through those problems, but we’re making progress.”

Ijaz said Ford needs a 10-year window to develop a commercial strategy for the technology.