General Motors to reveal Chevrolet Colorado-based fuel cell vehicle in October

General Motors (GM) has announced that it plans to reveal a new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in October, based on the Chevrolet Colorado.

The new vehicle is being developed under an agreement between GM and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), which was signed in 2015.

It is scheduled to be revealed at the fall meeting of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) in Washington, D.C, and the Army intends to use the vehicle to demonstrate the capabilities fuel cell electric propulsion and power generation systems can bring to the military, including quieter mobility, exportable power generation, low-end torque and water generation.

Paul Rogers, TARDEC director, said: ”Hydrogen fuel cells as a power source have the potential to bring to the force incredibly valuable capabilities. We expect the vehicle to be quiet in operation and ready to provide electricity generation for needs away from the vehicle. With fuel cell technology advancing, it’s an ideal time to investigate its viability in extreme military-use conditions.

“Fuel cell propulsion has low-end torque capability that is useful in an off-road environment. It also offers additional characteristics attractive to both commercial and military off-road use.”

Charlie Freese, executive director of GM’s global fuel cell activities, said: “This project is another example of how fuel cell propulsion can play a role in non-traditional applications. We need to continue pursuing these opportunities along with our plans for production of a commercial fuel cell system in the 2020 time frame.”

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