Cars of the Future, Coming to a Driveway Near You

Sept. 11, 2009— -- When New Yorker Jeanine Getz hops in her car in the morning, turns the key and rolls onto the street, everything seems completely normal -- except Getz isn't using even a drop of gasoline.

That's because Getz was preselected as one of more than 100 Americans to test-drive one of Chevrolet's most ambitious automobiles yet, the hydrogen-fueled Equinox.

By now, most major car companies have their own version of fuel-efficient technology.

German carmaker BMW has already put a fleet of hydrogen powered cars on the road, loaning them to celebrities and politicians in the U.S. and Europe, including actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, the company said.

In addition to the Equinox, General Motors is due to release the much-hyped electric battery powered Chevy Volt next year. Nissan and Honda are planning similar moves with the Nissan Leaf and Honda's Civic Hybrid.

But unlike those cars that need at least some gasoline, the Equinox needs none.

"We put hydrogen in the tank and it moves through this device called a fuel cell. You bring in oxygen [and] the chemical reaction gives you water, which is the only thing that comes out the tail pipe, and you get electricity to power the car down the road," driver relationship manager for GM's Stephen Martin told "Good Morning America."

Click here for a more detailed explanation of fuel cell technology.

While the reaction may sound complicated, Getz said it looks and drives like a normal car.

"I was impressed with the fact that I could just get in, turn the key and call it a day," she said.