The outlandish futuristic Airstream concept RV seen this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit wasn't the real star of Ford's show.

The entirely new drivetrain system powering the vehicle, a hydrogen-based system Ford calls the HySeries Drive, could form the basis for a number of new pluggable hybrids in the future, the company said.

The system is powered by a 336-volt lithium-ion battery pack at all times and has a range of 25 miles on a full electric power. Once the battery pack is depleted by about 40 percent, the hydrogen-powered fuel cell - supplied by Ballard Power Systems - begins generating electricity to recharge the batteries, increasing range another 280 miles, for a total driving range of more than 300 miles.

At home, the battery pack is to be rechargable by plugging into a standard outlet.

The HySeries Drive powertrain delivers a combined city/highway gasoline equivalent fuel economy rating of 41 miles per gallon and can travel up to 85 miles an hour, according to the company.

"In the early days of a developing hydrogen infrastructure, you can extend the time between hydrogen fill-ups by plugging in to recharge the batteries," said Scott Staley, chief engineer, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Technology at Ford Motor Company.

The HySeries Drive name is derived from the powetrain’s structure: a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered series hybrid drivetrain. The new innovative approach reduces the size, weight, cost and complexity of a conventional fuel cell system by more than 50 percent, and promises to more than double the lifetime of the fuel cell stack, the company says.