Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2023 - 20

Fuel cells ready for
commercial deployment
PROPULSION | POWER GENERATION FEATURE
" You kind of notice a theme. [These partners] all have the need for
a lot of energy - and have somewhat predictable usage patterns. "
- Charlie Freese, executive director of GM Hydrotec and GM Defense
Hydrotec-based mobile power-generation systems can provide clean
and quiet power for EV charging, worksites, data centers, military
support and emergency power.
Charlie Freese, executive director of GM Hydrotec and GM Defense,
details GM's first-generation fuel-cell prototype in 2016.
availability - " Now, I have no problem finding diesel "
for his own pickup truck, Freese said.
A GM Hydrotec collaboration with Liebherr-Aerospace is developing a fuel cellbased
power-generation system for aircraft.
quickly develop a green hydrogen technology that is competitive
with fossil fuels, " he added.
Freese said that less-expensive, more efficient electrolyzers can
reduce the cost of shipping hydrogen as a liquid or a gas by truck to
its required dispensing location. " If we use [local] electrolyzers, we
can cut that piece out, " as well as begin to leverage other common
infrastructure investments to reduce pressurization, transportation
and storage costs.
He likened the effort to making diesel fuel widely available to retail
customers. At first, he said consumers had difficulty relying on diesel
20 October 2023
Pickup-market target
Pickup trucks, particularly large, work-oriented models,
generate massive profit for the Detroit Three automakers,
and Dan Nicholson, GM's vice president of
global electrification, controls, software and electronics,
revealed in April at SAE International's WCX 2023
conference that GM is bullish on fuel cells to generate
electricity for large, over-8500-lb. (3855-kg) EVs such
as medium-duty pickup trucks that today typically are
powered by diesel engines.
" We believe the fuel cell is going to win out in the
end, " he said, because a fuel cell means electric versions
of those vehicles will not require enormously
heavy battery packs to answer the demands of their
rugged duty cycles.
Freese said GM Hydrotec is conducting a pilot program
of medium-duty pickups with the U.S. Dept. of
Energy (DOE), but a spokesperson said the company
was not yet ready with details of the collaboration.
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: STEVE FECHT FOR GENERAL MOTORS; SAE/BILL VISNIC; STEVE FECHT FOR GENERAL MOTORS

Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2023

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