GM Unveils Fuel Cell Vehicle That Uses Gasoline Source For Hydrogen

HONEOYE FALLS, N.Y. An AP story reported that a high-pitched whine emanated from the electric motor as the bright blue and white pickup truck accelerated to 25 mph on a rural park road.

It was no speed record, but for General Motors Corp., it was a historic moment: the demonstration of what it says is the world's first drivable fuel-cell vehicle, an altered Chevrolet S-10 pickup

Calling the efforts to bring fuel-cell vehicles to the mass market a "marathon," GM vice president Larry Burns said the latest development puts the automaker "at about mile six."

The truck demonstrated near GM's fuel-cell research facility is equipped with a processor that reforms low-sulfur gasoline though a series of chemical reactions.

The fuel is mixed with air and water and passed over a series of catalysts that separate hydrogen from carbon. The hydrogen is sent to the fuel-cell stack, where it is combined with oxygen from the air to produce electricity.

Gasoline-fed fuel cells are viewed as a transitional technology as automakers, suppliers and researchers work toward vehicles that run on pure hydrogen.

Every major automaker is working on some sort of fuel-cell vehicle and plans to begin making some available for fleet sales within a year. Mass-produced, affordable fuel-cell vehicles are not expected to be available until at least 2010.

Using gasoline as an interim technology makes sense, said Burns, GM's vice president for research, development and planning, since there are already 175,000 filling stations in the United States, providing an existing refueling infrastructure.

"You're not going to see those filling stations go away overnight," he said.

Pure hydrogen-fed fuel cells produce no harmful emissions, while those using gasoline or other fuels are not pollution-free.

GM says the reformer technology installed on the S-10, however, could provide efficiency of 40 miles per gallon while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 50 percent.

The automaker says all regulated emissions would nearly be eliminated except for trace amounts of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. There would be no oxides of nitrogen, GM said.

Burns said heavy, expensive on-board reformers could be replaced with ones at gas stations or in homes with natural gas service. That way, drivers could pump hydrogen into their cars at a filling station or at home.

"Your home or office could become an alternative to a gas station in the future," Burns said.

With the fuel-cell-powered S-10, GM says it has made important headway on issues standing in the way of making such vehicles commercially viable and publicly acceptable.

The automaker has been able to reduce the cost of the vehicle tenfold in the last 10 years and has reduced the amount of time the vehicle's fuel processor must warm up before driving from 30 minutes to six, said Gary Stottler, a GM engineer.

A drivable version of GM's Autonomy fuel-cell vehicle that runs on hydrogen will be unveiled by the end of the year, Burns said.

The Autonomy uses an electric motor for each wheel and "drive-by-wire" technology, eliminating mechanical controls for steering and braking.

GM already has developed stationary fuel-cell units that could be used as backup power generators for homes or businesses. Other companies, such as DTE Energy Inc., are working on stationary fuel-cell power units as well.

The automaker is working with Hydrogenics Corp. of Toronto and Nextel Communications Inc. on a project to use a 25-kilowatt generator to power wireless telephone towers in the event they lose their primary electrical service.