General Motors and The Gas Company Collaborate on Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trial in Hawaii

Strategic Insights -

General Motors (GM) is set to trial its hydrogen fuel cell prototypes in Hawaii after announcing a collaboration with The Gas Company (TGC), one of the state's largest energy companies. The trial will see GM's Chevrolet fuel cell concept cars tested on the island of Oahu, while TGC will use its 1,000-mile utility pipeline system to install hydrogen pumps at local fuelling stations.

The island of Oahu is uniquely positioned to serve as a working prototype for a hydrogen-ready society, given its existing infrastructure and commitment to reducing petroleum use. TGC already specializes in producing synthetic gas with more than 5% hydrogen content, which will be used to supply pure hydrogen fuel to power the vehicles. According to Charles Freese, executive director of GM Global Fuel Cell Activities, the Hawaii infrastructure could eventually support tens of thousands of fuel cell vehicles.

Key Takeaways:

  • The trial will utilize GM's Chevrolet fuel cell concept cars, which will be powered by hydrogen fuel supplied by TGC's 1,000-mile utility pipeline system.
  • TGC's proprietary separation process will be used to extract pure hydrogen from its synthetic gas, which will be used to fuel the vehicles.
  • According to Jeff Kissel, president and CEO of TGC, Hawaii is "uniquely positioned and motivated" to make hydrogen-powered fuel cell transportation a reality, given its high dependence on imported petroleum.
  • Depending on the pricing, hydrogen fuel could be available at the equivalent price of gasoline or less.
  • GM has invested over $1.5 billion in fuel cell transportation in the last 15 years and is developing a production-intent fuel cell system that could be ready for commercialization by 2015.
  • The current Chevrolet Fuel Cell vehicles, part of Project Driveway, have accumulated nearly 1.4 million miles of real-world driving since 2007.

Statistics:

  • 1000 miles: TGC's utility pipeline system, which will be used to install hydrogen pumps at local fuelling stations.
  • 5%: The hydrogen content of TGC's synthetic gas.
  • $1.5 billion: The amount invested by GM in fuel cell transportation over the last 15 years.
  • 1.4 million miles: The number of miles accumulated by the current Chevrolet Fuel Cell vehicles since 2007.
  • 2015: The predicted year for the commercialization of GM's production-intent fuel cell system.

Sources:

  • "General Motors and The Gas Company Collaborate on Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trial in Hawaii", Euclid Infotech Pvt. Ltd.
  • "General Motors and The Gas Company to test hydrogen-powered cars in Hawaii", The Gas Company.
  • "Project Driveway", General Motors.