An employee assembles fuel cell systems at module assembly at Fuel Cell Systems Manufacturing LLC, a fuel cell joint venture between General Motors and Honda in Brownstown, Miss.
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Brownstown, MI – General Motors and honda cars Commercial production of hydrogen fuel cell systems has begun, taking a step towards providing an alternative zero-emissions solution to battery electric vehicles.
The fuel cell system is produced by a 50:50 joint venture between the automakers at an $85 million plant in suburban Detroit. The companies, which market and sell the products separately, said the joint venture’s “large-scale” production was the first of its kind in the United States.
Many in the automotive industry view fuel cells as a replacement for diesel fuel use cases such as generators, heavy-duty trucks, semi-trucks and construction equipment.
Executives at the joint venture between the automaker and Fuel Cell Systems Manufacturing LLC said the start of commercial production marked a historic moment for the technology, which has been developed for decades.
It comes at a critical time for fuel cells.
Officials say tightening emissions regulations, technological improvements and heightened focus on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) create clear opportunities.
“We’re getting some scale capabilities; we’re driving down costs. Now we can start moving that into areas that weren’t previously feasible,” Charlie Freese, executive director of GM’s Hydrotec fuel cell products, told an event at the factory. CNBC.
On January 24, Jay Joseph, vice president of sustainability and business development at American Honda Motor Company, discussed the company’s upcoming fuel cell vehicle based on the CR-V crossover.
Michael Weiland/CNBC
“If we don’t plant the seeds for the future of hydrogen today, it will only be delayed further,” said Jay Joseph, vice president of sustainability and business development at American Honda Motor Co.
Honda and General Motors began working together in 2013 to develop the current fuel cell system. The highly automated process to produce the system is complex and involves expensive materials such as platinum and carbon fiber, which are combined to produce the flat “battery”. Each fuel cell system has 307 vertically stacked cells.
Honda’s system is expected to be introduced into vehicles this year There is crossover Based on the popular CR-V. GM’s first applications are expected to be in backup power stations and large trucks in its Autocar fleet.
Honda’s upcoming fuel cell vehicles are expected to be sold primarily in California, where a number of retail hydrogen vehicle refueling stations are already installed. The Japanese automaker previously sold a fuel cell car called Clarity, which was discontinued in 2021.
Production and Challenges
Honda expects to sell about 2,000 fuel cell systems annually by 2025, followed by 60,000 units in 2030 and hundreds of thousands of units annually by the second half of the 2030s.
That output compares with the millions of conventional and electric vehicles that General Motors and Honda expect to produce in the coming years.
GM declined to release production or sales expectations for its fuel cell systems, but Freese said the plant has the ability to expand as needed and that both automakers “are looking at the same markets and see the same opportunities.”
General Motors’ Hydrotec fuel cell power cube is on display at the company’s joint venture with Honda in Brownstown, Michigan.
Michael Weiland/CNBC
In 2017, General Motors said it expected to produce at least one fuel cell passenger vehicle by 2023, but The plan was abandoned after less than three years Focus on providing consumers with pure electric vehicles.
Freese said GM continues to view fuel cells as a complement to GM’s battery-electric vehicle plans, which include ending production of traditional gasoline-powered vehicles for consumers by 2035.
Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and devices operate much like battery electric vehicles and devices, but are powered by electricity produced from hydrogen and oxygen rather than pure batteries, with water vapor being the only byproduct. Their nozzles can be filled almost as quickly as conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles.
Fuel cell vehicles face the same challenges as battery electric vehicles, including consumer acceptance, fuel infrastructure and cost. These obstacles are why many expect fuel cells to enter commercial applications first, such as trucking with fixed routes and destinations.
These challenges are also why some critics are skeptical of the potential market.Elon Musk, CEO of a leading U.S. electric vehicle company TeslaFuel cells have been criticized as “stupid batteries”, “a load of rubbish” and “incredibly stupid”.
Svlook
