DETROIT ? General Motors hopes the third time around for its fuel-cell technology will be the charm. On Sunday, GM rolled out its Sequel fuel-cell powered vehicle, which GM officials hope will be mass produced by the year 2010.

The Sequel marks version 3.0 of GM?s fuel cell efforts. Three years ago GM introduced its Autonomy fuel-cell platform, a giant skateboard chassis with hub motors on each wheel powered by a fuel cell. The Hy-wire concept cab snapped on top providing the driver with steering, braking and acceleration through wireless electronic signals.

A billion dollars later, the Sequel combines all these now much improved technologies giving this prototype a range of 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen and zero to 60 acceleration in less than 10 seconds.

?Autonomy was a vision, what might be possible,?? said Sequel Program Director Chris Borroni Bird. ?The Hy-wire was the proof of concept. The Sequel is better design and function. It?s also good for the environment and fun to drive.?

And if GM is lucky, they?ll get the first Sequel on the road by year?s end, Borroni Bird said. The question then becomes can GM get the costs down enough to make it not only appealing to the mass market, but affordable as well. For GM that will become the multi-billion dollar challenge and also explains why GM isn?t predicting mass production until the year 2010. GM will have to sell fuel-cell-powered cars to the American public.

But it?s not just the American market that GM has in mind for this advanced technology. Only 12 percent of the world?s population drives a car. As China, India and the other huge, but still poor economies develop, the percentage of the world?s population owning cars will mushroom, said Byron McCormick, Executive Director, GM Fuel Cell Activities.

?We want to sell cars in those nations,?? McCormick said. ?But imagine what would happen to the world?s environment and economy if six billion people could afford internal combustion cars.?

On the other hand, if hydrogen becomes the source of vehicle power in the 21st century, rather than petroleum, it could not only change the world?s economy and create millions of new jobs, but also help preserve the environment, he said. The tail pipes of fuel-cell vehicles emit only water, not carbon dioxide.

Before this rosy future becomes reality, two things must happen: Tax policies need to be changed to provide incentives for auto makers, oil companies and any other companies involved in fuel-cell development; Consumers need to feel compelled enough to pay what will remain a premium price for fuel-cell vehicles.

There?s also the issue of developing a hydrogen infrastructure ? fueling stations ? to keep millions of these pioneering cars and trucks on the roads. McCormick said one possible short term solution may be home refueling stations, like those developed for the ill fated EV-1, the electric-powered vehicle GM experimented with and then discarded when hoped for advances in battery technology failed to materialize.

?The bottom line is,?? McCormick said, ?we?ve made enough progress on the technology to create the next round of vehicles.?

This week, Mitechnews.Com will explore what’s happening with fuel cell technology in a series of interviews with GM, Ford, DaimlerChrysler and Ballard.