(autoinsidenews) - Ford and Airstream have teamed up on a new concept that the companies unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show. The Ford Airstream Concept is influenced by trailer maker Airstream's iconic design and captures the sense of optimism and adventure conveyed in American aircraft and spacecraft, right down to its organic, fuselage-inspired form language.
The Ford Airstream Concept's bold, futuristic front-end features a single-surface grille and headlamps into a single. Each of the concept's bold orange-trimmed windows is a unique shape. The Ford Airstream Concept's doors are asymmetric as well, allowing for easy loading of passengers and cargo. The passenger side features a power clamshell door that runs two-thirds the length of the vehicle. A three-door hatch finishes the rear of the crossover, reports Trend.
To go with the futuristic interior and exterior, the concept is powered by Ford's HySeries Drive plug-in hydrogen hybrid fuel cell drivetrain that operates under electric power at all times. The fuel cell system is half the weight and cost of today's fuel cells and can operate in the dead of winter вЂ" a major step forward because today's fuel cells don't do well below freezing. The technology is much more than a concept stating that the powertain is already in use by a Ford Edge prototype. The HySeries engine is expected to deliver 41 miles per gallon combined city/highway equivalent fuel economy.
While in a pure electric mode, the Airstream can travel 25 miles before the fuel cell begins operating to recharge the vehicle's 336-volt lithium-ion battery pack.
The Ford Airstream Concept also features Ford's new safety belt designs, including four-point belt and suspenders safety belts aiming to help further reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Ford's view is that safety belts remain the most important safety technology in vehicles, and thus are the most important safety feature to improve.