GM "Road To Hydrogen" Tech Tour Spotlights Hybrids, Fuel Cells

MIT And Harvard Students Join Discussion On The Future Of Transportation

Cambridge, Mass. - Beginning today, a two-day Tech Tour stop will feature a broad range of current and future General Motors cars and trucks that dramatically reduce emissions and improve efficiency. MIT and Harvard students will get exposure to technologies and business practices that they are currently studying in the classroom. Academics, state lawmakers, regulators and activists will focus on ways to encourage mass-market acceptance of advanced automotive technologies.

The Tech Tour, on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will serve as a platform for discussion on the future of transportation, during which GM will explain how its global presence and numerous partnerships will enable it to develop and implement advanced technologies. GM believes automotive leadership will be demonstrated by companies that apply the most innovative technologies to address customer and societal needs around the world.

Tech Tour participants will learn about GM's fuel cell activities, partnerships and other advanced propulsion technologies from GM executives and engineers involved in commercializing GM's advanced technologies.

"It is important to address environmental and energy issues through frank discussion with our stakeholders," said Elizabeth Lowery, GM vice president of Environment and Energy. "Understanding various perspectives and building strong partnerships with the academic world will assist us in commercializing these technologies."

Fuel Cells Building on its academic partnerships, tonight at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, Mass., students from the MIT Sloan School of Management will be honored for their semester-long projects related to fuel cell commercialization. More than 40 Sloan graduate students created strategies for designing, marketing and mass commercializing a fuel cell vehicle, based on GM's revolutionary Hy-wire. The winning team created a plan that centered on a new full-size, luxury GM car that would utilize fuel cells, drive-by-wire and other state-of-the-art technologies.

"Globally, we'll need to excel in several technologies - not just one or two - to meet the transportation needs of consumers and society over the next several decades," said Lowery. "GM believes the road to a hydrogen economy will ultimately lead to truly sustainable transportation."

Tech Tour participants will operate the Hy-wire, the world's first driveable fuel cell vehicle with by-wire technology, along with the HydroGen3.

And, because educating the future users of fuel cell technology is a priority for GM, it will host two groups of middle-school science students at a special Tech Tour for Students on Thursday.

However, fuel cells aren't the only stars of the show. Technical experts will be on hand to demonstrate current and near-term efficient, fuel-saving technologies such as gas-electric hybrids, Displacement on Demand, alternative fuel vehicles, clean diesels and others.

Internal Combustion Engine Improvements Displacement on Demand allows a vehicle to run on half its cylinders when full power is not needed. When engine loads demand full power, the system shifts seamlessly without any input from the driver and without any compromise in vehicle performance. Displacement on Demand will appear first on the 2005 model year GMC Envoy XL and Envoy XUV; and on the Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT sport-utility vehicles. By 2008, more than 2 million GM vehicles with V-8 and V-6 engines will have this feature, which boosts engine efficiency by about 8 percent (based on the EPA testing procedure).

"Technologies such as Displacement on Demand, along with our comprehensive hybrid technology plan, will allow us to apply fuel-saving advanced technologies to high-volume production vehicles," said Lowery.

Hybrids GM is offering the broadest gas-electric hybrid propulsion program in the industry, with three different hybrid systems on three vehicle architectures, representing more than a dozen of its most popular models. Included in the Tech Tour is the GM hybrid truck, which is currently available to fleet customers and will be available to retail consumers in 2005. This system improves efficiency in stop-and-go driving by shutting off the engine at idle mode and enabling early fuel cutoff to the engine during decelerations.

"Tech Tour participants will see how GM is building on its history of technology and powertrain leadership to reduce vehicle emissions and improve efficiency," said Lowery. "We are committed to using advanced technologies to address global transportation needs."

General Motors Corp. , the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, employs about 325,000 people globally. Founded in 1908, GM has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM today has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 192 countries. In 2003, GM sold nearly 8.6 million cars and trucks, about 15 percent of the global vehicle market. GM's global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM and its products can be found on the company's corporate website at www.gm.com. GM's corporate responsibility web site, www.gmability.com, contains additional information about GM's environmental initiatives.