HY-WIRE CAR

1.0 INTRODUCTION
The body of the Hy-wire is an aluminium frame on a steel and fibre glass body and conventional
windscreen dimensions have been lengthened giving the driver a sense of space and improved
visibility. It's a car that marries the best of contemporary design with the innovation necessary for
the 21st Century. The Hy-wire may cost the GDP of a developing nation, but this is a prototype. As
the market adopts the Hy-wire concept and runs with it, the price will come down, ensuring a cleaner,
quieter future for several generations to come.

Given that the overall function of a car is so basic (it just needs to provide rotary motion to
wheels), it seems a little strange that almost all cars have the same collection of complex devices
crammed under the hood and the same general mass of mechanical and hydraulic linkages running
throughout. Why do cars necessarily need a steering column, brake and acceleration pedals, a
combustion engine, a catalytic converter and the rest of it? This question led the automotive
engineers at the General Motors Company to design and develop a new breed of cars.

According to many leading automotive engineers, they don't; and more to the point, in the near
future, they won't. Most likely, a lot of us will be driving radically different cars within 20 years.
And the difference won't just be under the hood owning and driving cars will change significantly,
too. [1]

Fig.1 GM’s sedan model Hy-wire car. [1]

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 1

 HY-WIRE CAR

2.0 HY-WIRE BASICS

Two basic elements largely dictate car design today: the internal combustion engine and
mechanical and hydraulic linkages. If you've ever looked under the hood of a car, you know an
internal combustion engine requires a lot of additional equipment to function correctly. No matter
what else they do with a car, designers always have to make room.

Fig.2 Hy-wire basic structure [3]

The same goes for mechanical and hydraulic linkages. The basic idea of this system is that
the driver manoeuvres the various actuators in the car (the wheels, brakes, etc.) more or less directly,
by manipulating driving controls connected to those actuators by shafts, gears and hydraulics. In a
rack-and-pinion steering system, for example, turning the steering wheel rotates a shaft connected
to a pinion gear, which moves a rack gear connected to the car's front wheels. In addition to
restricting how the car is built.

How we drive:

The steering wheel, pedal and gear -shift system were all designed around the linkage idea.
The defining characteristic of the Hy-wire (and its conceptual predecessor, the Autonomy) is that it
doesn't have either of these two things. Instead of an engine, it has a fuel cell stack, which powers
an electric motor connected to the wheels. Instead of mechanical and hydraulic linkages, it has a
drive by wire system -- a computer actually operates the components that move the wheels, activate

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 2

 HY-WIRE CAR

the brakes and so on, based on input from an electronic controller. This is the same control system
employed in modern fighter jets as well as many commercial planes.

There is no steering wheel, there are no pedals and there is no engine compartment. In fact,
every piece of equipment that actually moves the car along the road is housed in an 11-inch-thick
(28 cm) aluminium chassis also known as the skateboard at the base of the car. Everything above
the chassis is dedicated solely to driver control and passenger comfort. This means the driver and
passengers don't have to sit behind a mass of machinery. Instead, the Hy-wire has a huge front
windshield, which gives everybody a clear view of the road.

The floor of the fibreglass-and-steel passenger compartment can be totally flat, and it's easy
to give every seat lots of leg room. Concentrating the bulk of the vehicle in the bottom section of the
car also improves safety because it makes the car much less likely to tip over.

But the coolest thing about this design is that it lets you remove the entire passenger
compartment and replace it with a different one. If you want to switch from a van to a sports car,
you don't need an entirely new car; you just need a new body (which is a lot cheaper). The Hy-wire
has wheels, seats and windows like a conventional car, but the similarity pretty much ends there.
There is no engine under the hood and no steering wheel or pedals inside. [3]

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 3

 HY-WIRE CAR

3.0 FUEL CELL ON HY-WIRE

A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device that converts hydrogen and
oxygen into water, producing electricity and heat in the process. A fuel cell provides a DC (direct
current) voltage that can be used to power motors, lights or any number of electrical appliances. One
can continually recharge a fuel cell by adding chemical fuel- hydrogen for an onboard storage tank.
The type of fuel cell that is used in the Hy-wire car is the Proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

3.1 PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE

The four basic elements of a PEM fuel cell are:

1. The anode, the negative post of the fuel cell, conducts the electrons that are freed from
the hydrogen molecules so that they can be used in an external circuit. It has channels
etched into it that disperse the hydrogen gas equally over the surface of the catalyst.
2. The cathode, the positive post of the fuel cell, has channels etched into it that distribute
the oxygen to the surface of the catalyst. It also conducts the electrons back from the
external circuit to the catalyst, where they can recombine with the hydrogen ions and
oxygen to form water.
3. The electrolyte is the proton exchange membrane. This specially treated material, only
conducts positively charged ions. The membrane blocks electrons.
4. The catalyst is a special material that facilitates the reaction of oxygen and hydrogen. It
is usually made of platinum powder very thinly coated onto carbon paper or cloth. The
catalyst is rough and porous so that the maximum surface area of the platinum can be
exposed to the hydrogen or oxygen. The platinum-coated side of the catalyst faces the
PEM.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 4

 HY-WIRE CAR

3.2 WORKING OF PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELL (PEMFC)

Fig.3 Fuel cell [2]

The pressurized hydrogen gas (H2) enters the fuel cell on the anode side. This gas is forced
through the catalyst by the pressure. When an H2 molecule comes in contact with the platinum on
the catalyst, it splits into two H+ ions and two electrons (e-). The electrons are conducted through the
anode, where they make their way through the external circuit (doing useful work such as turning a
motor) and return to the cathode side of the fuel cell.

Meanwhile, on the cathode side of the fuel cell, oxygen gas (O2) is being forced through the
catalyst, where it forms two oxygen atoms. Each of these atoms has a strong negative charge. This
negative charge attracts the two H+ ions through the membrane, where they combine with an oxygen
atom and two of the electrons, from the external circuit to form a water molecule (H2O). PEMFCs
operate at a fairly low temperature (about 176 degrees Fahrenheit, 80 degrees Celsius), which means
they warm up quickly and don’t require expensive containment structures. [2]

Chemistry of a Fuel Cell

Anode side: Cathode side:

2H2 => 4H+ + 4e- O2 + 4H+ + 4e- => 2H2O
Net reaction: 2H2 + O2 => 2H2O

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 5

 HY-WIRE CAR

4.0 POWER
The "Hy" in Hy-wire stands for hydrogen, the standard fuel for a fuel cell system. Like batteries,
fuel cells have a negatively charged terminal and a positively charged terminal that propel electrical
charge through a circuit connected to each end. They are also similar to batteries in that they generate
electricity from a chemical reaction. But unlike a battery, you can continually recharge a fuel cell by
adding chemical fuel -- in this case, hydrogen from an onboard storage tank and oxygen from the
atmosphere.

The basic idea is to use a catalyst to split a hydrogen molecule (H2) into two H protons (H+,
positively charged single hydrogen atoms) and two electrons (e-). Oxygen on the cathode (positively
charged) side of the fuel cell draws H+ ions from the anode side through a proton exchange
membrane, but blocks the flow of electrons. The electrons (which have a negative charge) are
attracted to the protons (which have a positive charge) on the other side of the membrane, but they
have to move through the electrical circuit to get there. The moving electrons make up the electrical
current that powers the various loads in the circuit, such as motors and the computer system. On the
cathode side of the cell, the hydrogen, oxygen and free electrons combine to form water (H2O), the
system's only emission product.

In a hydrogen fuel cell, a catalyst breaks hydrogen molecule in the anode into protons and
electrons. The protons move through the exchange membrane, toward the oxygen on the cathode
side, and the electrons make their way through a wire between the anode and cathode. On the cathode
side, the hydrogen and oxygen combine to form water. Many cells are connected in series to move
substantial charge through a circuit.

One fuel cell only puts out a little bit of power, so you need to combine many cells into a stack
to get much use out of the process. The fuel-cell stack in the Hy-wire is made up of 200 individual
cells connected in series, which collectively provide 94 kilowatts of continuous power and 129
kilowatts at peak power. The compact cell stack (it's about the size of a PC tower) is kept cool by a
conventional radiator system that's powered by the fuel cells themselves. [3]

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 6

 HY-WIRE CAR

Fig.4 The hydrogen tanks and fuel-cell stack in the Hy-wire. [4]

This system delivers DC voltage ranging from 125 to 200 volts, depending on the load in the
circuit. The motor controller boosts this up to 250 to 380 volts and converts it to AC current to drive
the three-phase electric motor that rotates the wheels (this is similar to the system used in
conventional electric cars).

The electric motor's job is to apply torque to the front wheel axle to spin the two front wheels.
The control unit varies the speed of the car by increasing or decreasing the power applied to the
motor. When the controller applies maximum power from the fuel-cell stack, the motor's rotor spins
at 12,000 revolutions per minute, delivering a torque of 159 pound-feet. A single- stage planetary
gear, with a ratio of 8.67:1, steps up the torque to apply a maximum of 1,375 pound feet to each
wheel. That's enough torque to move the 4,200-pound (1,905-kg) car 100 miles per hour (161 kph)
on a level road. Smaller electric motors manoeuvre the wheels to steer the car, and electrically
controlled brake calipers bring the car to a stop. The gaseous hydrogen fuel needed to power this
system is stored in three cylindrical tanks, weighing about 165 pounds (75 kilograms) total. The
tanks are made of a special carbon composite material with the high structural strength needed to
contain high-pressure hydrogen gas. The tanks in the current model hold about 4.5 pounds (2 kg) of
hydrogen at about 5,000 pounds per square inch (350 bars). In future models, the Hy-wire engineers
hope to increase the pressure threshold to 10,000 pounds per square inch (700 bars), which would
boost the car's fuel capacity to extend the driving range. Ultimately, GM hopes to get the fuel-cell
stack, motors and hydrogen-storage tanks small enough that they can reduce the chassis thickness
from 11 inches to 6 inches (15 cm). This more compact "skateboard" would allow for even more
flexibility in the body design. [4]

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 7

 HY-WIRE CAR

5.0 CONTROL
The Hy-wire's "brain" is a central computer housed in the middle of the chassis. It sends
electronic signals to the motor control unit to vary the speed, the steering mechanism to manoeuvre
the car, and the braking system to slow the car down. At the chassis level, the computer controls all
aspects of driving and power use. But it takes its orders from a higher power -- namely, the driver in
the car body. The computer connects to the body's electronics through a single universal docking
port. This central port works the same basic way as a USB port on a personal computer: It transmits
a constant stream of electronic command signals from the car controller to the central computer, as
well as feedback signals from the computer to the controller. Additionally, it provides the electric
power needed to operate all of the body's onboard electronics. Ten physical linkages lock the body
to the chassis structure.

The driver's control unit, dubbed the X-drive, is a lot closer to a video game controller than a
conventional steering wheel and pedal arrangement. The controller has two ergonomic grips,
positioned to the left and right of a small LCD monitor. To steer the car, you glide the grips up and
down lightly -- you don't have to keep rotating a wheel to turn, you just have to hold the grip in the
turning position. To accelerate, you turn either grip, in the same way you would turn the throttle on
a motorcycle; and to brake, you squeeze either grip. Electronic motion sensors, similar to the ones
in high-end computer joysticks, translate this motion into a digital signal the central computer can
recognize. Buttons on the controller let you switch easily from neutral to drive to reverse, and a
starter button turns the car on. Since absolutely everything is hand-controlled, you can do whatever
you want with your feet (imagine sticking them in a massager during the drive to and from work
every day). [4]

Fig.5 The Hy-wire’s X-Drive. [5]

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 8

 HY-WIRE CAR

Fig.6 The X-drive can slide to either side of the vehicle. [5]

The 5.8-inch (14.7-cm) colour monitor in the centre of the controller displays all the stuff we
normally find on the dashboard (speed, mileage, fuel level). It also gives you rear-view images from
video cameras on the sides and back of the car, in place of conventional mirrors. A second monitor,
on a console beside the driver, shows you stereo, climate control and navigation information. Since
it doesn't directly drive any part of the car, the X-drive could really go anywhere in the passenger
compartment. In the current Hy-wire sedan model, the X-drive swings around to either of the front
two seats, so you can switch drivers without even getting up. It's also easy to adjust the X-drive up
or down to improve driver comfort, or to move it out of the way completely when you're not driving.

One of the coolest things about the drive-by-wire system is that we can fine-tune vehicle
handling without changing anything in the car's mechanical components -- all it takes to adjust the
steering, accelerator or brake sensitivity is some new computer software. In future drive-by wire
vehicles, we will most likely be able to configure the controls exactly to our liking by pressing a few
buttons, just like we might adjust the seat position in a car today. It would also be possible in this
sort of system to store distinct control preferences for each driver in the family.

The big concern with drive-by-wire vehicles is safety. Since there is no physical connection
between the driver and the car's mechanical elements, an electrical failure would mean total loss of
control. In order to make this sort of system viable in the real world, drive-by-wire cars will need
back-up power supplies and redundant electronic linkages. With adequate safety measures like this,
there's no reason why drive-by-wire cars would be any more dangerous than conventional cars. In
fact, a lot of designers think they'll be much safer, because the central computer will be able to
monitor driver input. Another problem is adding adequate crash protection to the car.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 9

 HY-WIRE CAR

6.0 HY-WIRE CAR SPECIFICATION

➢ Top speed: 100 miles per hour (161 kph)

➢ Weight: 4,185 pounds (1,898 kg)

➢ Chassis length: 14 feet, 3 inches (4.3 meters)

➢ Chassis width: 5 feet, 5.7 inches (1.67 meters)

➢ Chassis thickness: 11 inches (28 cm)

➢ Wheels: eight-spoke, light alloy wheels.

➢ Tires: 20-inch (51-cm) in front and 22-inch (56-cm) in back

➢ Fuel-cell power: 94 kilowatts continuous, 129 kilowatts peak

➢ Fuel-cell-stack voltage: 125 to 200 volts

➢ Motor: 250- to 380-volt three-phase asynchronous electric motor

➢ Crash protection: front and rear "crush zones" (or "crash boxes") to absorb impact energy
➢ Related GM patents in progress

➢ 30GM team members involved in design: 500+

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 10

 HY-WIRE CAR

7.0 MERITS
1. Fuel efficient - Since a fuel cell propulsion system is about twice as efficient as an internal
combustion engine, a fuel cell vehicle could provide twice the fuel efficiency of a comparably
sized conventional vehicle, and an optimized fuel cell vehicle like Hy-wire would be even
more efficient.

2. Environment friendly - Since the reaction through which the power is generated is

(2H2+O2=>2H2O) the only bi-product formed is water, which is a non-pollutant. Since there
is no burning or other oxidation process in the releasing of energy harmful components like
nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, carbon oxides and other unburnt products are not produced.
Hence these cars are highly eco-friendly.

3. High stability - As all the technical elements have been nicely blended into the chassis, most
of the power train load has been evenly distributed between the front and rear of the chassis.
This provides a low centre of gravity, giving the architecture both a high stability and driving
dynamics potential. This contributes to the overall safety of the vehicle, by enabling superior
handling, while resisting rollover forces, with the tallest body attached.
4. Highly spacious - As there are no linkages and engine lot of legroom space is available for
the passengers.
5. Driver friendly - As the X-drive does not have any physical linkages with the steering
controller, it can be taken to anywhere inside the car. Moreover, as everything that drives the
car is housed in the chassis, the driver does not have to sit behind a mass of machinery. This
gives the driver a clear view of the road and thus increases the drivability.
6. Freedom of individual expression - As the chassis would be common for most the Hy-wire
vehicles, one can easily remove the entire passenger compartment and replace it with a
different one. This leads to the freedom of individual expression. For example, if one wants
to switch from a van to a sports car, he does not need an entirely new car; he only needs a
new body (which would be a lot cheaper).

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 11

 HY-WIRE CAR

8.0 DEMERITS
1. Low safety - The big concern with drive-by-wire vehicles is safety. Since there is no physical
connection between the driver and the car’s mechanical elements, an electrical failure would
mean total loss of control. In order to make this sort of system viable in the real world, drive-
by-wire cars will need back- up power supply and redundant electronic linkages.
2. Storage and transportation of hydrogen fuels - The other major hurdle for this type of car
is figuring out energy-efficient method for producing, transporting and storing hydrogen for
the onboard fuel cell stack. With the current state of technology, actually the production of
the hydrogen fuel can generate about as much pollution as using gasoline engines.
3. Pricing - With the current status of development, manufacturing of the Hy-wire cars on a
mass scale would not at all be economical. According to the present accounts, the cost for
manufacturing even a single Hy-wire car would be about 1 to 2 crores.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 12

 HY-WIRE CAR

9.0 FUTURE OF HY-WIRE

Looking in to the future, Burns says he thinks fuel cells offer a promising alternative, but he
recognizes that they need to be compelling, affordable, and profitable. One area GM is tackling is
hydrogen storage. GM partnered with Quantum Technologies to develop a prototype tank that will
give you a driving range of up to 300 miles before you have to refuel.

Burns says GM is looking into other ways it can store compressed hydrogen, there is liquid
for hydrogen and there is also metal hydrides when you are storing hydrogen in a solid state, he said.
Keebler says another solution could be to build a hydrogen reformer into the car, which would enable
it to turn other fuels into hydrogen. You could also house these reforms at gas stations, he says.
Burns says you could distribute the gasoline the same way you do today, but it would go through a
reformer at the pump, creating hydrogen from the gas. Burns sees a world where GM overcomes
those obstacles and your car becomes part of your energy solution and not the problem.

Let’s imagine a world in which you could come home at night and pull your hydrogen fuel
cell vehicle into your garage. The first thing you do is connect it to some compressed hydrogen tanks
that are also in your garage and you put hydrogen into your vehicle. You are refuelling at home, he
said. At the end of the day, if you have some leftover hydrogen in your tank, you could also use it
to power your home. He says he also envisions you being able to plug your car into your cities
electric grid and selling back fuel you don’t use. [6]

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 13

 HY-WIRE CAR

10.0 CONCLUSION
➢ The Hy-wire concept has so profoundly brought about changes in the automotive industry
that GM and other auto makers are planning to move beyond the conventional car,
towards a computerized environment friendly alternative. They are actually planning to
launch such a vehicle for the public usage by the year 2020, hoping that they can
overcome all the drawbacks.
➢ The problems being faced can be resolved such as a kill switch may be added for the case
of total electronic failure. Also a method for safe storage of hydrogen fuel cells can be
devised.
➢ The technology is extremely interesting to people in all walks of life because it offers a
means of making power more efficiently and with less pollution. But the coolest thing
about this design is that it lets you remove the entire passenger compartment and replace
it with a different one.
➢ The GM concept provides much more value than just zero emissions and twice the fuel
economy. It would provide very affordable all-wheel drive, unprecedented safety and
comfort, and no oil changes, maintenance worries or trips to the gas station. GM may not
be able to sell it publicly ever but this car clearly shows how future cars will evolve.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 14

 HY-WIRE CAR

11.0 REFERENCE
1. Christensen, T. B. (2013). Modularized eco-innovation in the auto industry. Journal of
Cleaner Production, 19(2-3), 212-220.
2. Bajpai, Sparsh. "Hy-wire Technology: Artificial Intelligence Replacing Man’s Era."
3. Winter, U., & Herrmann, M. (2017). Hydrogen automobile heads toward series production
HydroGen3 puts fuel cells on the road. Fuel Cells, 3(3), 141-145
4. Brown, S., & Holweg, E. (2016). Smart electro-mechanical actuation for Drive-by-Wire
Applications (No. 2015-21-0045). SAE Technical Paper.
5. Kanekawa, N. (2018). X-by-wire systems. Hitachi Research Laboratory, Tech. Rep.

6. King, Ralph. "GM's race to the future." Business 2.0 4.9 (2016): 86-86.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MCE HASSAN 15