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The hydrogen-powered General Motors industrial truck boasts an impressive range of 300 miles, while also generating enough electrical energy to power approximately 250 average American homes for a brief period. Simply not on the identical time.
General Motors envisions its latest gasoline cell-powered truck concept, dubbed the “muse” for a hydrogen-based worksite ecosystem, where vehicles like the Chevrolet Silverado 5500 MD, equipped with HYDROTEC fuel cell systems capable of generating 300 kilowatts of peak power. The vans would operate as mobile turbines, enabling on-site instrumentation, movable workspaces, and more.
Jacob Lozier, HYDROTEC’s program supervisor, told reporters last week that these vans could potentially power job sites or charge EVs in areas where traditional charging isn’t available, noting they have enough energy and capacity to provide power for up to 250 American households.
General Motors and its companions have leveraged their expertise to achieve more than 300 miles of range superiority over the large MD Chevy, outpacing the Silverado EV by 150 miles. In contrast, the latter boasts a “distinctive” design, with fuel tanks ingeniously integrated within a utility body.
Funded by the Department of Energy’s SuperTruck 3 program and the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, the autos have been engineered as part of a pioneering initiative to demonstrate the practical applications of fuel cells in fleet and industrial settings, with the goal of showcasing their real-world capabilities for potential adopters.
The Southern Company, a leading southern utility firm, has agreed to acquire HYDROTEC’s gasoline cell-powered Chevrolet Medium Duty (MD) vans to utilize them as site-based vehicles across its work sites. Southern Firm, in collaboration with General Motors and Nel ASA, is exploring the possibility of deploying a cutting-edge hydrogen microgrid solution to power innovative fueling infrastructure, incorporating a state-of-the-art stationary gasoline cell-based energy generator.
Electrek’s Jo’s Take
While I’m the first to acknowledge that battery-electric vehicles aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. As a meticulous individual with a penchant for precision, I’m a well-suited instrument for tackling tasks that demand attention to detail and a methodical approach. Many positions within specific industries necessitate substantial amounts of energy to function effectively. Currently, batteries developed using existing technology require a sizeable footprint to store sufficient energy, rendering them too bulky to integrate into vehicles without compromising their functionality, let alone their exposure to dirt and grime. In certain limited applications, hydrogen’s blend with diesel can temporarily reduce carbon and nitrogen oxide emissions, offering a short-term solution.
This ain’t it.
“I’m utterly unimpressed,” I penned to Electrek’s Seth Weintraub. “I highly doubt this isn’t an April Fools’ prank.”
“Pricey lord,” he wrote again. He assumes the cell’s energy turbine capabilities are impressive, but the 300-mile limitation seems minimal; if it could achieve that distance, it would likely be a 1-megawatt generator instead. This is sensible.”
I re-examined it closely, then let out a disapproving sigh. “For what it’s worth, I’m virtually certain that’s incorrect.” “What’s striking is the sheer amount of hydrogen required to propel a Nikola vehicle over a distance of approximately 400 miles.”
Nikola hydrogen semi truck
Despite my reservations about General Motors’ multi-million-dollar hydrogen truck initiative, I decided to exercise due diligence before labeling it a laughable failure, and therefore contacted the company’s public relations department to gather more information. I dispatched the next email in pursuit of clarity:
Studying this text, it appears unclear whether the truck’s mileage (300 miles) refers to its varied performance and “can energize” 250 properties per day. To clarify the relationship between these two statements, could you please rephrase or provide additional context? For instance, does the truck’s varied performance directly impact its ability to energize properties? Can this vehicle muster the energy to propel itself for approximately 150 miles, expend that vitality, and then repeat the feat by covering another 150-mile stretch?
My e-mail to gm
Their response was professionally quick.
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To put this feat into perspective, consider that the truck’s energy capacity is equivalent to powering 250 properties simultaneously. Driving vans would significantly reduce the need for external gasoline storage for powering off-grid properties, and so forth?
GM press contact
What specific insights from GM and HYDROTEC’s collaboration validate their claims? Because of my vantage point, this massive MD pickup’s actual capabilities are dramatically curtailed, yielding a mere 7-foot bed length compared to its diesel-powered peers, which boast significantly greater cargo capacity. The notion of mattress area, which would presumably diminish to zero in even a Silverado 3500 dually, might power a job site for roughly the same duration as an F-150 (assuming it’s not too far from a hydrogen refueling station) and significantly less time than a standard EV or solar-powered generator set. The proposed technology exacerbates existing problems at an even greater cost than current solutions, with dubious environmental advantages for diesel-powered systems and no benefits whatsoever for battery- or solar-powered alternatives.
As soon as MAN Truck’s CEO, Alexander Vlaskamp, stated that it was “unrealistic” for hydrogen to effectively rival battery-electric vans, his words resonated with me. I was caught off guard by the sheer magnitude of GM’s abilities.
