- GM says that a hydrogen fuel cell it is testing may be production-ready in 2015.
- The new system can be packaged in the space of a four-cylinder engine.
- It is half the size, 220 pounds lighter and uses about a third of the platinum of the system in the current Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicles.
BURBANK, California — General Motors issued an encouraging progress report about its research into hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles on Tuesday, saying such a system may be ready for production in 2015. The automaker said it has stripped size, weight and cost out of the current system and now has a system that "can be packaged in the space of a traditional four-cylinder engine."
GM said the new system is "half the size, 220 pounds lighter and uses about a third of the platinum of the system in the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicles used in Project Driveway." Project Driveway is a real-world test bed for GM's fuel-cell electric vehicles.
GM said its Project Driveway push is "winding down" but that it will keep upgrades of the vehicles running while it aims at production-ready vehicles in 2015.
Automakers such as GM and Honda, which builds the hydrogen fuel cell FCX Clarity, are in a race to get these alt-fuel vehicles into the hands of consumers.
Inside Line says: Fears that GM's hydrogen fuel-cell program may be in the doldrums with the recent retirement of GM research guru Larry Burns appear to be unfounded. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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iskch says:
09:53 AM, 03/18/2010
Humm... Mazda is doing it already in Japan w/the Mazda 5 with a rotary engine. You can even switch from gasoline to hydrogen.
jepontiac says:
03:46 AM, 03/18/2010
The infrastructure is less complicated than everyone thinks. Newer tech is allowing Hydrogen to be produced where ever there is water and electricity. It can actually be produced at the pumps or as another poster said at the home. The beauty of the fuel cell is that it, like the ICE, has longer ranges, and quick refueling times. It can go where no pure electric can go (like parked a parking lot or in the street instead of a garage. It amazes me no one ever considers how truly difficult it will be to set up an electric infrastructure.)
surfwagon56 says:
10:35 PM, 03/17/2010
I can picture a not-too-distant future, a set of solar panels (that look like cement roof tiles) that would provide energy for my home. Some of the electrical current would take a small amount of water coming in to my house and convert it to H2 and O2 gases. The H2 would be stored in a tank in the garage, which would be used to fill up the fuel cell car when needed. The O2 would be released into the atmosphere. During the fuel cell process, the hydrogen would recombine with the oxygen in the air to reform water.
How hard is it to electrolyze water? Not very. A small setup in my classroom with two different types of metals, a couple of test tubes, and a lantern battery is all it takes.
I agree that the infrastructure is the main obstacle. Until home solar systems become affordable to the average homeowner, and hydrogen fueling stations become common, the fuel cell car has limited appeal. However... gasoline powered cars started with no infrastructure either, and look at them now!
icecubefosho says:
07:38 PM, 03/17/2010
I mean it would be great to start building the basis because otherwise there would be no progression in technology with conservative thinking, but right now, I don't think its in our best interests to roll on it.
ed124c says:
05:25 PM, 03/17/2010
At this point in time, the only alternative fuel concept that seems to be cost effective is diesel. Whether anything else proves viable in five years is anybody's guess. I would guess that the fuel cell will not make it into mass production in the next twenty years-- infrastructure being the biggest obstacle.
icecubefosho says:
05:02 PM, 03/17/2010
Pollution wise, producing hydrogen right now isn't green, and to make it green, solar and wind power electrolysis generation would be extremely costly. Then you need to lay the infrastructure to have the fueling stations so initially the cost of Hydrogen should be relatively expensive (if we did it right now, who knows what the future holds).
Then the batteries themselves are going to be expensive, and with Toyota recalls, manufacturers are going to be weary of new technologies just in case something goes wrong and pisses off the public.
bankerdanny says:
04:50 PM, 03/17/2010
If a fellow IL reader has one, I would love to read why the fuel cell isn't considered the holy grail of ICE replacement (well, next to the Mr. Fusion of course) as opposed to battery powered electric and Volt style hybrid electric.
Other than the need to create an infrastructure to (a) create substantial qualities of hydrogen and (b) deliver it, what is the real downside?