GM Hy-Wire

[Timon]

I like this control system.

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[Mark Tomlinson]

You know, I've decided the problem with GM is follow-through. First the EV1, then the Hy-Wire platform, now E-Flex. Fundamentally, all great ideas. But they stopped two out of the three before they saw it's potential. We'll see what happens with E-Flex.

E-Flex, in many ways, resembles Hy-Wire. It's an all electric drive train with a flexible energy source. Hy-Wire, of course, was built around hydrogen fuel cells back when that was the darling of alternative energy. But it was also adaptable.

What set Hy-Wire apart is that it was built around a "skateboard" that the car body was mounted to. The "Wire" part came in from the phrase 'drive by wire' - there were no mechanical linkages to the steering wheel or anything else in the passenger compartment. One car could come with the cool steering wheel, accelerator, brake, thing in the video. Or, if you like pedals, plug in pedals. You want right hand drive? Move the driver's cockpit to the other side. Want a minivan or pickup truck? Snap on a different body. It's like a Lego car.