AFSCME 3357-HOF'S BLOG

Fuel Cell News #1:
GM Fuel Cell Vehicle Passes 300 Mile Test

GM's Sequel, a hydrogen fuel-cell powered SUV, passed a key test, travelling 300 miles over public roads without refueling. This real world range test demonstrates that only cost stands in the way of producing a practical car that does not produce carbon emissions. Well, cost and hydrogen infrastructure. Nevertheless, advances in fuel cell technology have rendered performance gains similar to the "Moore's Law" techonology curve followed by the semiconducter industry. Under Moore's law, performance doubles every 18 months. Fuel cell progress may not be quite that good, but GM engineers have report that they have improved the efficiency of the Sequel by 30% since last September. The Sequel is a 5300 lb. SUV, but it recorded the equivalent of 43 mpg on the 300 mile test.

The sequel to the Sequel will be the low-slung Volt which sports a fuel-cell stack that is half the size of the Sequel's. The Volt also has a 300 mile range on fuel-cell power, but it also relies on lithium ion batteries for a 20 mile electric-only range.

In my opinion, the progress shown by GM on fuel cell vehicles is encouraging. Honda has made similar progress. What is disappointing is the level of support shown by the United States government. The government should be funding service-test fleets for government agencies and the United States Postal Service. It would not be hard to establish hydrogen fueling facilities in larger government installations, and postal hubs also could house the required infrastructure.

Source: Detroit News