Home Green Cars 8 : Fuel Cell Powered Cars 8.4 The First Car Powered by a Fuel Cell The First Car Powered by a Fuel Cell 8.4   The First Car Powered by a Fuel Cell One of the first cars to be powered by a fuel cell was produced in the USA by Dr Karl Kordesch in 1970. An alkaline fuel cell was fitted to a modified British built Austin A40 car. It had a maximum range of 180 miles (288 km).    [ Back ]