Patent ID: 7556113

Claim:
A vehicle, comprising: an energy producing and storage system including first and second portions cooperating in a nesting relationship, thereby minimizing vehicle space usage; a vehicle body including a floor having a concavity formed therein for receiving a third portion of the system from outside the vehicle, the third portion of the system including a fuel cell stack, the concavity being configured to prevent at least some of the third portion from extending beyond the vehicle body, and to minimize use of vehicle occupant space; and a pair of longitudinal supports, each of the longitudinal supports being attached to the vehicle body across a corresponding portion of the concavity, thereby adding strength to the vehicle body in a longitudinal direction, each of the longitudinal supports being configured to receive a corresponding portion of a mounting bracket system of the fuel cell stack from outside the vehicle so the fuel cell stack can be installed into and removed from the concavity from outside the vehicle.