Next Year: 100 Fuel Cell SUVs

PHOTO: JOHN VOELCKER

Under the hood of the Equinox Fuel Cell SUV, one of 100 to be tested by members of the public next year; a hydrogen fuel cell and the electric motor it powers are hidden beneath this cover

To start learning, GM will put fuel-cell cars into the hands of live consumers roughly a year from now. (Honda did this already—once—providing its small, Fit-sized FCX hatchback to the Spallino family of Redondo Beach, Calif., in June 2005, a ceremony that received a remarkable amount of media attention.) Chevrolet will loan 100 Equinox Fuel Cell SUVs for three to 30 months to “teachers, engineers, firefighters, government officials, business partners and media” in California, New York, and Washington, D.C.

These vehicles don’t have all the technical frills of the Sequel, which is a full concept car. Absent the special paint and trim and revised front-end styling, you’d be hard-pressed to tell an Equinox Fuel Cell from its gasoline equivalent. But GM is especially proud that these highly modified vehicles comply with all 2007 Federal crash and safety regulations and more, including a 50-mph angled side impact directly into the hydrogen tanks—without any leakage.

The fuel-cell Equinox promises a range of 200 miles (320 km) per 4.2-kg tank of hydrogen. Top speed is 100 mph (160 km/h), and GM quotes a 0-to-60-mph time of 12 seconds. It expects the fuel cells to last 50 000 miles (80 000 km), and notes they are “freeze durable”—which is to say they generate power in less than 15 seconds at temperatures down to –20 degrees Celsius (important for the U.S. Northeast, among other markets).

GM will garner feedback on all facets of the Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles’ performance from operations data downloaded via the cellular phone in each car’s OnStar system. And it will announce similar trials for Europe and Asia later on.

OK, But Where Do You Get H2?

The broader question is, How and where do you refuel? Right now there are only several dozen places on the planet where civilians can buy gaseous or liquid hydrogen for automotive use. And naturally occurring hydrogen is a tricky substance: Because it’s the smallest and lightest molecule, it escapes easily through tiny spaces other molecules can’t pass through. So you need heavily armored and very secure storage tanks—in the car and on the ground—as well as aircraft-quality hoses and fittings to fill the tanks.

GM is working with Shell, among other partners, to increase consumer availability of hydrogen for automotive use. (The OnStar navigation system in each Equinox Fuel Cell will let drivers work out how far it is to the nearest hydrogen source, no matter where they are.) There are regional and national test projects around the world, using whatever local energy source makes the most sense: Geothermal in Iceland, nuclear in France, natural gas in several places.

And that’s the great thing about hydrogen: You can make it a lot of different ways. Just apply electricity to water molecules in a device called an electrolyzer, and two components result: hydrogen and oxygen. You can do much the same with natural gas, producing hydrogen and carbon dioxide (which would need to be trapped, since venting it into the air would contribute to global warming).

That electrolyzer is basically a fuel cell running in reverse. Companies with good fuel-cell technology also have the means for efficient electrolyzation. One vision is that owners top up their car’s hydrogen fuel cells by plugging in the hose of an electrolyzer that connects to the home’s water pipes. It’s mounted on a garage wall and fills the tank with hydrogen in the wee hours, when demand for electricity is lowest, so the price is cheap.

Would such an electrolyzer say “Chevrolet” on it? Larry Burns, the head of R&D at General Motors, shakes his head. CEO Wagoner “made it clear that we’re in the business of providing personal mobility, not garage appliances.”

Would GM license their technology to other companies to make garage appliances—meaning you might never have to visit a “gas” station? Burns smiles. “Now that’s a very interesting question,” he says.

By design, the Chevrolet Sequel and Equinox Fuel Cell will slot seamlessly into today’s suburban culture of malls, freeways, subdivisions, and football practice. If the average soccer mom’s Jeep Grand Cherokee were replaced with the Sequel—without telling her it was a fuel-cell vehicle—she might never know the difference.

So, one question: What does it mean if the car of the future arrives … and we hardly notice?