General Motors is one of a few U.S. auto makers test driving new avenues to a gas-free existence. Its latest endeavor, Ultimate Green "Zero Gas" Design Challenge, involves two Milwaukeeans: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student Sonja Golembiewski and Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design industrial design student Carl Archambeault.

They were selected as two of 21 students from around the world to participate in GM's annual internship and this year, help design a green car concept that requires not a drop of gasoline.

In retrospect, Archambeault was a shoo-in. He'd spent his high school career studying computer modeling programs and when GM sent a rep to MIAD scout for interns, his experienced portfolio outshone the rest of his class.

The GM internship opportunity was the primary reason he applied to the design school in the first place, he says.

"I knew I wanted to work for one of the Big Three (General Motors, Ford and Daimler Chrysler) some time in my life, so I saw this as a great opportunity to get in there," he says. As interns Archambeault and Golembiewski spent their summer in GM Tech Center Warren, Mich., working eight-hour days, sometimes longer, sometimes weekends.

"There were some long hours," he says of his 11-week assignment. "But they were good hours. Sometimes I didn't want to leave at the end of the day."

The students were divided into six-teams -- six designers, six sculptors, three color and trim designers, three engineers and three graphic artists -- and tasked with designing a three-dimensional, fuel cell vehicle that meets the needs of consumers in one of three emerging markets: China, Russia or India.

Archambeault was a sculpture for his team, which spent the first few weeks using Alias Sketchbook to create three-dimensional model of the car and the rest of the time working with clay models, to develop the ".RU" for the Russian market.

"It's made for the middle class worker in Russia," he says. "A lot of people in Russia own their own business and use vans for transportation and business purposes. We were going for something functional for business but that was also fun to drive. It looks like a van but is the size of a (Toyota) Scion xB, which is a relatively small car."

He says the project's theme was customer customization -- color, trim, interior -- and mentions it comes equipped with a retractable roof and a back door that opens up to provide two additional feet of cargo space if needed.

The car, like all the intern-designed vehicles, was designed to run on a hydrogen emulsion fuel systems, something GM has been experimenting with for years. Archambeault says the ".RU" might some day evolve from the concept stages to a real market reality.

"We actually got compliments on it from GM employees. There are a few elements that aren't very realistic, but a few minor changes and sure, why not?"

A GM engineer priced the vehicle at $17,000.

Now back in Milwaukee, Archambeault plans to graduate in May '09 and says if he were offered a position at GM, he'd take it "in a heartbeat."