Speed up the layout of the hydrogen fuel cell track! General Motors plans to develop hydrogen-fueled Mobile Power Generation equipment

General Motors (General Motors) said on Wednesday, Jan. 19, that it plans to expand its hydrogen fuel cell business beyond cars to provide hydrogen generators for construction sites, music festivals, data centers and the military.

GM executives say the widespread use of hydrogen fuel cells will enable GM to leverage and expand existing hydrogen fuel investments and improve technology. The company plans to use its Hydrotec brand of hydrogen fuel cells to make mobile power generation equipment.

"think of places that don't have permanent power generation facilities but need clean energy," Charlie Frith (Charlie Freese), executive director of GM's Hydrotec business, said in an interview. "Hydrotec power generation equipment can be quickly deployed for disaster relief, or it can provide backup for Electroweb in areas that are experiencing continuous blackouts."

Hydrogen fuel cells, which use compressed hydrogen as fuel and release only water vapor, have been developed for decades. GM has condensed its Hydrotec system into a "power cube" that includes 300 separate hydrogen fuel cells. These "cubes" can then be deployed in a variety of applications, including mobile generators and temporary electric car chargers.

GM is planning to provide generators of various sizes for a variety of uses. Depending on the size and usage, the power of each equipment will range from 60 kilowatts to 600 kilowatts. They will also use different numbers of Hydrotec "power cubes". For example, the company's mobile power generator relies on one power cube, while the Empower fast charger will use eight cubes.

The company declined to disclose expected revenue from the new business and said the launch date and price of the generator would be announced at a later date. The hydrogen fuel cell system will be assembled by a joint venture between GM and Honda in Brownstown, Michigan. (Renewable Innovations), a renewable innovator based in Utah, will build the generators and plans to start production next year, GM executives said.

Hydrogen, a fuel that separates water from oxygen by electricity, has long been seen by companies and governments as a way to reduce carbon emissions. But at present, most hydrogen is produced by electrolytic cells powered by natural gas or other fossil fuels and can only be called "gray hydrogen". Producing "green hydrogen" costs four times as much as renewable energy.

Freese said GM's goal is to increase the use of green hydrogen fuel and hopes to reduce costs. The company also hopes to work with infrastructure providers to install more local hydrogen production systems and reduce the need for expensive hydrogen transportation, he said.