GM and Honda are getting serious about hydrogen fuel cell tech -- the two automakers have announced a partnership that will see them work together for a number of years. Curious why companies including Toyota, Hyundai, GM, Honda, and others are so interested in fuel cell technology?
0:00 / 0:00
The release issued by Honda and GM claims fuel cell vehicles can have a driving range of up to 400 miles (longer than any current Tesla or other EV) and be refueled in under five minutes. The partnership brings together the two automakers that have filed the most number of fuel cell patents between 2002 and 2012. The goal of GM and Honda is to develop an advanced fuel cell system and hydrogen storage tech by 2020.
"...I am excited to form this collaboration to fuse our leading fuel cell technologies and create an advanced system that will be both more capable and more affordable," said Takanobu Ito, Honda's president and CEO.
An infrastructure that can support a national network of fuel cell vehicles has been an obstacle of the technology in the past, but the overall cost is, as well. In the past, we've heard about Toyota's plans to offer a fuel cell vehicle for $50,000 before 2020.
One of GM's latest efforts with fuel cell vehicles is the 119-vehicle fleet of hydrogen-powered last-generation Chevrolet Equinoxes. You can read our Chevrolet EquinoxFuel Cell First Drivefrom 2008 right here. Honda has been offering the FCX Clarity in very low volumes for a few years, and says the car's successor will arrive in the U.S. in 2015. You can read our Honda FCX Clarity First Drivefrom 2007 right here.
Much can happen in seven years, but if the GM-Honda partnership holds strong, the two companies could be one step closer to convincing consumers of the viability of fuel cell cars.
Source: GM, Honda
The Honda FCX Clarity andChevrolet EquinoxFuel Cell Vehicle are shown below.
I’ve come a long way since I drove sugar packets across restaurant tables as a kid, pretending they were cars. With more than 17 years of experience, I'm passionate about demystifying the new car market for shoppers and enthusiasts. My expertise comes from thoughtfully reviewing countless vehicles across the automotive spectrum. The greatest thrill I get isn’t just from behind the wheel of an exotic car but from a well-executed car that’s affordable, entertaining, and well-made. Since about the time I learned to walk I’ve been fascinated by cars of all shapes and sizes, but it wasn’t until I struggled through a summer high school class at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design that I realized writing was my ticket into the automotive industry. My drive to high school was magical, taking me through a beautiful and winding canyon; I've never lost the excited feeling some 16-year-olds get when they first set out on the road. The automotive industry, singing, and writing have always been my passions, but because no one seeks a writer who sings about the automotive industry, I honed my writing and editing skills at UC Irvine (zot zot!), serving as an editor of the official campus newspaper and writing stories as a literary journalism major. At USC, I developed a much greater appreciation for broadcast journalists and became acquainted with copy editing rules such as why the Oxford comma is so important. Though my beloved 1996 Audi A4 didn’t survive my college years, my career with MotorTrend did. I started at the company in 2007 building articles for motorcycle magazines, soon transitioning to writing news posts for MotorTrend’s budding online department. I spent some valuable time in the copy editing department, as an online news director, and as a senior production editor. Today, MotorTrend keeps me busy as the Buyer's Guide Director. Not everyone has a career centered on one of their passions, and I remind myself all the time how lucky I am.
Read More
