GM Gets Army Deal for Fuel Cell Tech

General Motors announced on September 30 that it was entering an agreement with the US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, or TARDEC, to engage in cooperative research and development of hydrogen fuel cells for military and civilian applications. The work will be conducted at both the GM fuel cell development laboratory in Pontiac and the TARDEC facility in Warren, which is about 20 miles away. The cooperative working arrangement is expected to run for up to five years.

General Motors has been a leader in fuel cell research, and the Detroit auto maker has filed more fuel cell patents than any other company over the last 10 years. In 2004 GM teamed up with Dow Chemical to launch the world’s largest fuel cell project. They also announced a joint venture with Honda earlier this year to develop a new kind of fuel cell. The work with the Japanese manufacturer aims to have a next generation fuel cell and hydrogen storage system ready by 2020. Civilian uses of the technology have the potential to greatly reduce the need for petroleum, which will benefit the economy and the environment.

The military are drawn to fuel cells because they are extremely energy dense. They have 2.3 times the efficiency of conventional power-trains, and they can be fully recharged in only three minutes. They are also stealthy. Hydrogen fuel cells are very quiet and have a low thermal footprint. GM has also been working with the US Navy who have shown interest in the unique properties of fuel cells for unmanned underwater vehicles.

GM has been demonstrating hydrogen fuel cells and the infrastructure for hydrogen refueling to TARDEC at an evaluation project in Hawaii. Some of the vehicles on show have an Exportable Power Take Off, or EPTO, capacity. This means that the fuel cell can be removed from the vehicle to be used as a portable generator. These generators can power an emergency field base or a small subdivision.

Details have not been released about the financial investment involved or the potential number of new jobs that may be created. However, GM and TARDEC have said that the goal of the work will be to jointly develop and test the potential of new ideas and designs. It is hoped that working form both a military and civilian perspective will produce more tangible results. Once prototypes have been fully tested, work will begin on producing full sized fuel cell propulsion systems.