GM Claims Fuel Cells Will be Commercially Viable by 2010

General Motors recently announced that it was planning to build hybrid-electric cars in China by 2008, with drivetrains co-developed with DaimlerChrysler and BMW. However, the company is still fully backing hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles and has announced today that it could produce them for the same cost of their gasoline counterparts once they reach a production volume of 1 million units.

According to GM’s vice president of R&D, Larry Burns, “lack of scale is the primary reason for the high costs of fuel cell vehicles.” By producing the clean vehicles in larger numbers, GM hopes that they’ll be comparable to gasoline motors in terms of performance, durability and cost roughly $50 per kilowatt (of output) by 2010.



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lewissalem - 11/8/2006 1:34:23 PM

+1 Boost

does "commercially viable" mean I can buy one. Probably not.

1970toyotamarc - 11/8/2006 1:58:59 PM

+2 Boost

GM lies

UPshift - 11/8/2006 5:20:59 PM

+2 Boost

Yep. Infrastructure doesn't pop up overnight, especially for a such a new technology.

GM, drop the fuel cell crap for now - or develop it on the back burner - and produce designs like that one and you'll be much better off and not so far behind everyone else.

Think about it - a nationwide fueling infrastructure built for one make? I don't see it happening. Even if GM licensed the technology to other manufacturers, I don't see them jumping at the bit to adopt it.

2JZSoarer - 11/8/2006 11:03:51 PM

+3 Boost

GM fuel cell,I don't know about that,GM's technology sucks,it may break down before it's first oil change!
I think I'll wait for Toyota's fuel cell to come out !!

UPshift - 11/9/2006 12:46:27 AM

+2 Boost

Quite the contrary, I think GM has great technical prowess. They just seem to historically cut corners and go too cheap before the final product arrives.

It's amazing to think that the same company that produces the Corvette Z06 also makes the ill-planned, low quality travesty that is the Saturn Ion.

XYZZ - 11/9/2006 3:44:54 AM

+2 Boost

true dat.

the greatest and FUNNIEST example of a production travesty is the pontiac fiero.

UPshift - 11/10/2006 2:06:42 AM

+1 Boost

Man, how true! I had a 1988 Fiero GT back in the day and it was a great car - completely reliable. The V6 models were dragged down by the 4 cylinder's reputation.

GM designed the car, gave it sales projections that no 2-seat, mid-engined car could meet in the market, let three years of customers unknowingly become the testing engineers and then bowed to internal pressure to kill the car once they got it right. Thanks, Chevy.

It did provide GM with a great deal of experience with plastics and spaceframes used to a larger scale on production cars.

scottcampbell10 - 11/9/2006 5:03:15 PM

+1 Boost

yeah i cant wait for toyota to make a fuel cell either cuz they will recall it like all the other crap they have made lately.

UPshift - 11/10/2006 1:57:44 AM

+1 Boost

This thing should be a Saturn right now with a conventional drivetrain.