GM Partners with U.S. Army and Delivers First Fuel Cell Chevrolet Silverado

Press Release

A modified Chevrolet Silverado will be used to supply packages

General Motors Corp. and the U.S. Army today announced they are partnering to introduce the world’s first fuel cell-powered truck into U.S. military service. The vehicle, a modified Chevrolet Silverado, is equipped with two 94 kW fuel cell stacks capable of generating 188 kW continuous output.

The GMT800 fuel cell truck has the potential to reduce fuel consumption by at least 20 percent over conventional diesels. Three 700 bar compressed hydrogen storage tanks will provide a range of 200 kilometers. Top speed is 150 kilometers per hour.  The U.S. Army will evaluate the truck until July 2006, at an army base in Ft. Belvoir, in the U.S. State of Virginia. The vehicle will be used to deliver packages but will not be used in combat.

“Our goal is to provide the military with access to clean, efficient, high performance and affordable fuel cell vehicles and this gives us an opportunity to continue to evaluate the technology in a real-world test,” said Elizabeth Lowery, GM’s Chief Environmental officer. “We are committed to achieving absolute reliability and durability. Our partnership with the U.S. Army will help us drive down costs, create potential for future joint development of fuel cells and will promote the development of a hydrogen infrastructure.”

GM has gathered vast experience in employing fuel cell technology. As the first car manufacturer of the world, the company had a prototype up and running in the 1960s. Since then, over a billion dollars have been spent in research and development of this emission-free technology. GM’s target is to design and validate a fuel cell propulsion system by 2010 that is competitive with current internal combustion engines in terms of performance and durability, and that can ultimately be built affordably in high volume.

In November 1997, the GM Fuel Cell Activities development center was founded by General Motors and Opel. Today, a total of some 600 scientists and engineers are working on different aspects of the joint fuel cell program at five sites across the world: three in the USA (Rochester, Warren, Torrance), one in Germany (Mainz-Kastel) and one in Japan (Tokyo).

GM’s fuel cell technology has already proven its endurance on many occasions, most recently in the summer of 2004 at the “Opel Fuel Cell Marathon – powered by GM” event. In 38 days, the HydroGen3, a fuel cell vehicle prototype based on the Opel Zafira, traveled exactly 9,696 kilometers between Hammerfest, Norway and Cabo da Roca, Portugal – a new world record for a fuel cell vehicle.

The rapid progress in the development of the fuel cell car is also demonstrated by the GM Sequel which had its world debut at the Detroit Motor Show 2005. The Sequel is the first fuel cell vehicle in the automotive industry to offer the range and driving performance people expect from their current cars. With a next-generation fuel cell stack from GM delivering 25 % more power, the Sequel achieves a range of 480 kilometers and acceleration from 0-100 kph in less than ten seconds. The fuel cells and cylindrical tanks are housed in a unique “skateboard” chassis.