WASHINGTON, D.C. --- The Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell has received Green Car Journal's first-ever Green Car Vision Award, which was presented at a press conference at the Washington Auto Show.

The 2008 Green Car Vision Award program considered five nominees: the Equinox Fuel Cell along with the BMW Hydrogen 7, Honda FCX Clarity, Phoenix Electric SUT, and Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid. All qualified as advanced limited production vehicles either in demonstration programs or the early stages of commercialization.

"The Equinox Fuel Cell is visionary on many levels," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com. "Zero-emission vehicles destined for our highways in the years ahead will take many forms, from small car platforms to large. Powering a popular crossover model with a future fuel such as hydrogen, and doing so seamlessly with an efficient powerplant that creates no CO2 greenhouse gases, is exemplary and Chevrolet should be commended for this."

Chevrolet's Equinox Fuel Cell combines an advanced hydrogen powertrain along with some of today's most sought-after features like OnStar, StabiliTrac, front and roof rail side-impact air bags, and four wheel ABS. The vehicle directly benefits from a 40-year fuel cell development program. In recent years this program has included such notable fuel cell vehicles as the Hy-wire, AUTOnomy, Sequel and the recently introduced Cadillac Provoq.

Through "Project Driveway," the world's largest fuel cell demonstration fleet, more than 100 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles will be driven by consumers and others for three months at a time in California, New York City and Washington D.C.