Ford Airstream - Concept Vehicle
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The Ford Airstream is a concept vehicle that demonstrates futuristic luxury . It will not likely to ever see the production line
but the Airstream is used to experiment with test and aid in the development of options , designs and features , that will show up on production models in the future . Concepts such as the Airstream also draw attention and public interest at auto shows which draws attention to the Manufacturer’s name and production automobiles . Concept vehicles help sales !
The Airstream was first unveiled to the public in 2007 . It is a futuristic crossover SUV with a touch of retro to the outside shape , but there is nothing retro inside !
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The Airstream is a hybrid that is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell but can also be plugged in to recharge the battery when the vehicle is not being driven . On straight battery power the Airstream has a range of about 25 miles (40 km) . After 25 miles the Hydrogen Fuel Cell generator kicks in , while driving , to recharge the battery . This increases the range to over 300 miles (440 km) before the hydrogen fuel cell needs refuelling . The fuel economy of the Airstream is about 41 miles per US gallon (about 51 miles per imperial gallon) .
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The right side opens upward and is power operated . The interior is like a luxurious lounge with sculptured fabric seating and carpeted floor . The front seat are sculptured pod style Captain’s Chairs with swivel capability allowing the front occupants to face the rear occupants when desired . The instrument panel is a flush mounted floating design with touch screen control . It uses a single gauge display to give the driver all the information needed to operate the Airstream .
It also has a dual screen instrument panel that is centrally mounted to allow the drive and the passenger to view , driver information . The rear contains a 360 degree screen to provide entertainment capability or to play games etc . the screen can provide mood settings such as fire place or lava etc and also has a live camera feed .
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The Airstream is equipped with four point safety belts .
Double wishbone independent suspension is used on the front of the Airstream and multi-link independent suspension is used in the rear .
Ford’s “Hyseries Drive” system that is used on the Airstream is also being tested on a special Ford Escape SUV , for likely future use . “Hyseries Drive” is the name given to this future Ford Hydrogen Hybrid system . The only thing that comes out of the exhaust , tail pipe of the vehicle is ’clean’ water vapour .
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