Two (or more) into One
Ford and Airstream? Collaborating on a car? Hey, doesn’t Airstream make travel trailers? Yes—to all three. Ford Motor Company and Airstream Corporation have teamed up to create the Ford Airstream concept vehicle. It’s kind of a futuristic retro—if there is such a thing. It’s also a crossover vehicle, meant to take advantage of a shift in demographics.
Tapping into Trends
Being competitive and tapping into these desires means being innovative and creative—and dabbling a bit in psychology. After all, folks are simplifying their lives in many ways, and fuel-efficient vehicles that serve multiple needs are gaining popularity. Remember those cool looking Airstream silver bullet travel trailers? While the designers went for futuristic look, they wanted to tug at the heartstrings of nostalgia, giving potential buyers something to long for—a little bit of yesteryear.
The Technology, The Future
Every aspect of the Airstream’s drive train is electric. It’s actually a hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle with a twist. In most fuel cell configurations, the cell generates electricity that powers the electric drive motors directly. In the Airstream’s scenario, the fuel cell is used to charge batteries that provide power to the motors. Electric motors for propulsion? Yes, indeed. These hard working little demons make incredibly reliable and consistent power in a compact size. Don’t believe it? What pulls more weight than a railroad locomotive? They have diesel engines to be sure, but those engines turn generators that make electrical power to drive the wheels of those behemoths.
The advantage of this system is that it allows for use of a smaller, less expensive and longer-lasting fuel cell. And how about hydrogen as a fuel? It’s the most abundant element on the planet. When you use a fuel cell as the energy creator from that hydrogen, you’ve got clean and quiet—with no moving parts. And that means there is nothing to break or wear out.
Can it be?
Concept vehicles have a reputation of remaining just that, a concept. Can this odd-looking, yet appealing little machine make it to the next step in design evolution? It has to pass a lot of tests—with the engineers that say there are too many design limitations to overcome, the focus groups who say it’s nice but no one will buy it, and perhaps worst of all, the bean counters who say it’s too expensive. Only time will tell. But if quirky little machines like the Honda Element and the Scion xB can make it . . . why the heck not the Airstream?
Check out the Ford Airstream photo gallery.