Video: Green Overdrive sprays the streets in the Fiat Panda fuel cell hybrid prototype

Fiat first introduced the Panda city car back in 1980 and, while the vehicle has evolved a bit since then, it still serves the same purpose as the automaker had originally envisioned: a modern day peasant's car. Cheap and basic, the Panda is a no-frills utility vehicle that tackles most tasks efficiently, albeit at a rather leisurely pace.

The Panda's newly developed prototype fuel-cell hybrid system transforms Fiat's basic utility vehicle into a high-tech, but still rather ordinary-looking, urban runabout that's efficient and emits nothing but water vapor. Giga OM TV's Green Overdrive crew took Fiat's fuel cell hybrid prototype for a spin and came away impressed with – or perhaps shocked by – the vehicle's ability to douse the streets with water. Giga OM also spoke with Paul Beach, president of Quallion, suppliers of the prototype vehicle's lithium-ion battery pack. Hit the jump to discover the technology that makes the Panda fuel cell hybrid prototype unlike anything else out there.

[Source: GigaOM]