Soon after Lovins’ first speech on his concept, he received an invitation from GM’s head of advanced engineering, Donald Runkle, to view its own Ultralite concept car. Lovins and GM’s engineers shared insights about how to make cars lighter, simpler, and cheaper.

Within a few years, GM had transformed its early concepts into a companywide drive to reinvent the automobile, from the ground up. Betting 40% of its R&D budget on a radical new design, in 2002 the company released its AUTOnomy vehicle architecture, combining fuel cells and by-wire technology in a ‘skateboard’ design. The October 8, 2002 issue of Wired, “GM’s Billion-Dollar Bet,” described the impact of the skateboard design:

A snap-on body attaches to this skateboard chassis, which holds all power and mechanics. There is no engine.
Credit:: General Motors, Hywire