Chevrolet to Build 100 Fuel Cell Vehicles

The Detroit Free Press, among many others, reported that

Today, GM is to announce that it will build the world's largest fleet of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in 2007 -- more than 100 Chevrolet Equinox crossover vehicles to be deployed in California, and the New York and Washington, D.C., areas. ... Vice Chairman Robert Lutz said GM may have affordable hydrogen-powered cars available in mass-production volumes by 2011.

The Auto Channel contributed the following:

The plan dubbed “Project Driveway is " Designed to gain comprehensive learnings on all aspects of the customer experience, Project Driveway constitutes the first meaningful market test of fuel cell vehicles anywhere. ... Larry Burns, GM vice president, research & development and strategic planning. said “The Equinox Fuel Cell is powered by GM’s most advanced fuel cell propulsion system to date, and demonstrates an important milestone on our pathway to automotive-competitive fuel cell propulsion technology development."

Enabled by GM’s fourth-generation fuel cell propulsion system, the Equinox Fuel Cell is a fully-functional crossover vehicle, engineered for 50,000 miles of life. Importantly, the Equinox Fuel Cell is able to start and operate in sub-freezing temperatures during its 50,000-mile life.

The Toronto Star added the flollowing:

The vehicles will be built by GM of Canada at the company's Regional Engineering Centre in Oshawa.

Peak power from the fuel cell is rated at 93 kW (124 hp) and the nickel-metal-hydride battery pack, located beneath the rear seat footwell, can provide up to 35 kW (47 hp). That is similar to the output from the conventional Equinox's four-cylinder gasoline engine.

Three cylindrical fuel tanks, pressurized to 700 bar (10,000 psi) are mounted beneath the rear seat and between the rear wheels. There is no sacrifice of interior cabin space to accommodate the fuel-cell system components, and the tanks can be fully refilled in five minutes.

Could this be the start of a battle between GM and Toyota to see whether the Fuel Cell or the Hybrid will be the dominant power source for cars in the future?  Toyota is forecast to have greater sales than GM, on both a US and worldwide basis by 2010 or 2011. Is GM betting on the wrong technology again? I certainly hope that Toyota wins this one.

Comments

[Joseph Ray]

Hi,
The person from Toronto Star who wrote the article that says:

"Is GM betting on the wrong technology(fuel cell vehicles) again? I certainly hope that Toyota wins this one."

I think that person should move to Japan and kiss their a**.

Joe

[mcr]

This is not confined to the automotive industry my friend ... the journalist is probably trying to cause controversy to highlight issues

I live in the UK ... our car manufacturers went to the dogs because we didnt successfully anticipate the future...

But in energy terms we are a world player - and I hope that stays that way

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/84/i40/8440industry.html

Latest NewsSeptember 29, 2006
INDUSTRY NEWS
U.S. Competitiveness Seen On The Decline
Energy prices disadvantage U.S. firms in global marketplace, manufacturing study says
Glenn Hess
U.S. manufacturers have become less competitive in the global marketplace in recent years because of rising energy and other "structural" costs, according to a report issued Sept. 27 by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).

"The sharp rise in these nonwage costs represents a significant and long-term problem for our nation's manufacturers and America's economy," NAM President John Engler remarked at a Washington, D.C., briefing.

The study by economist Jeremy A. Leonard of the Manufacturers Alliance concludes that nonproduction costs for U.S. manufacturers are 32% higher than those of nine of the nation's major economic competitors—Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Domestic manufacturers faced a 22% disadvantage in 2003, the last time NAM studied structural costs, which include corporate taxes, employee health and pension benefits, and legal expenses.

The sharp increase in energy prices over the past three years has been especially painful for chemical manufacturers, which use huge amounts of natural gas both to power their plants and as a key raw material.

The U.S. benefited from relatively low natural gas prices until the late 1990s. But by 2005, the report says, this competitive advantage had turned into a cost disadvantage for U.S. firms.

Leonard said the steady increase in domestic natural gas prices was due to "a fundamental imbalance between supply and demand." He explained that "policy decisions on the part of the government stymied development of known domestic reserves, but at the same time Clean Air Act mandates increased demand."

Leonard noted that congressional and presidential moratoriums on offshore drilling have put 85% of U.S coastal waters off-limits to energy development, while utilities have been switching from coal to cleaner burning natural gas for power generation to meet air quality regulations.

The report indicates that the chemical industry is the largest industrial consumer of natural gas in the U.S., accounting for about 36% of domestic demand.

The U.S. ought not be at a cost disadvantage, Leonard stressed. "We produce more than 80% of the natural gas we consume, and most of the remainder comes from Canada, where domestic prices are about 20% lower than in the U.S," he noted. Because Canada produces more natural gas than it can consume, Leonard said one policy option is to "encourage Canada to extract more natural gas for export to the U.S."

Chemical & Engineering News
ISSN 0009-2347
Copyright © 2006 American Chemical Society

[amazingdrx]

If GM was serious about fuel cells powering cars, they would build a battery electric car with a backup CeO2/copper high temp fuel cell/ microturbine generator.

It would cut fuel consumption to 10% of that of a normal ICE vehicle, and run on any liquid fuel. Not pie in the sky compressed hydrogen tanks filled from astronomically expensive, uninsurable dangerous 3000 pound per square inch gas pumps.

Come on GM, at least try to compete with toyota, subaru, and honda? This technology would win it for you. Team up with Franklin Fuel Cell. Do it for all of US. Is there any real patriotism left in the GM boardroom?

It's there in the engineering department and factory floor! That's for sure.

[David]

Biotech Combany in India Supplying Jatrobha Curcas Feeds and Tissue culture Saplings of Orchids and Other Cut Flower Varietiess.

[fstar]

i really think both fuel cell and hybrid technology will be popular in the future and there will not be a clear winner

[Angela (prime hydrogen)]

Did Chevy ever build the 100 fuel cell vehicles ? I don't remember hearing anything about it. Or did I just miss it? Just curious.

[supraveni]

Supraveni Chemicals manufactures plenty of chemical products like sodium sulphate, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, barium sulphate & sodium hydroxide

[ティファニー 激安]

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アメリカを代表する世界のプレミア?ジュエラー、ティファニーは1837年の創設以来、時を越えて多くの人々を魅了してきた。ティファニーのジュエリー、シルバー、ウォッチ、そのデザインの数々は何世代にもわたって世界中で愛され続けている。ティファニー 通販

[RMT]

Karl, when you consider the divorce rate in this country, the sports car just might be the wiser investment. At least with the car, you know how much you're going to end up paying. With a wife, foreign or domestic, it's an

[アバクロ]

iser investment. At lea

[生薬]

xて多くの人々を魅了してきた。ティファニーのジュエリー、シルバー、ウォッ

[女性用媚薬]

th Korea, and Taiwan.

Domestic manufacturers faced a 22% disadvantage in 2003, the last time NAM studied structural costs, which include corporate taxes, employee health and pension

[天天素]

天天素

[Toe Shoes]

I very good info. thanks for sharing your precious thoughts. im regular reader of your blog and always find some good points. thanks

[アニメ抱き枕]

Leonard said the steady increase in domestic natural gas prices was due to "a fundamental imbalance between supply and demand." He explained that "policy decisions on the part of the government stymied development of known domestic reserves, but at the same time Clean Air Act mandates increased demand."

[アニメ抱き枕]

This is not confined to the automotive industry my friend ... the journalist is probably trying to cause controversy to highlight issues

[Real Estate in Vietnam]

Occupants will find less room inside than on the Celebrity Equinox, the 2850-passenger cruise ship operated by Celebrity Cruises.