BEV versus FCEV18 Oct 2018 14:53
General Motors (GM) has developed a new 'ZH2' hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric truck, with a next-generation engine and a Chevrolet Silverado chassis.
The original ZH2 was based on a Chevrolet Colorado truck that had its front and rear changed to improve off-road mobility and host the power-generation and cooling systems. That fuel cell technology dated to 2007. The Colorado ZH2 was trialled by the US army's Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Centre (TARDEC) over the past two years to demonstrate that hydrogen fuel cell technology in ground vehicles would be stable enough for possible military use.
The truck's hydrogen fuel storage tank was shot with 7.62 mm standard, incendiary, and armour-piercing rounds. It was penetrated with a rocket-propelled grenade round but did not explode, GM officials said after the tests, because hydrogen explosions are difficult to sustain and hence relatively safe. The ZH2 is capable of outputting 25kW of continuous power and showed potential for users to capture the excess water that is a by-product of the fuel cell's output. The Silverado ZH2 is now also to be tested by TARDEC, Charlie Freese, Executive Director of GM's Global Fuel Cell Business, said.”The Silverado ZH2 can output up to 100kW of power and host much heavier payloads, Freese said. The newer fuel cell technology and platform enable GM to keep all the systems under or within the vehicle's cab, and within its chassis, unlike the first-generation Colorado ZH2, the rear of the platform is open to be used as a flatbed space, or configured like a typical pickup truck.