May 16th  2002

GM's H2O pickup a history maker; On-board hydrogen storage major

Source:The Hamilton Spectator

General Motors took a giant step in that direction last week when it unveiled the world's first gasoline-powered fuel-cell vehicle.

Just how significant was this event to the future of automobiles?

Imagine being present when Karl Benz took to the streets of Mannheim in 1885 with his
three-wheeled Motorwagen. Better yet, imagine being able to drive it.

Seeing and driving GM's gas-powered fuel cell vehicle may not rank quite as high in the
history of automotive accomplishments. Then again, it just might.

Although we recognize it today as the world's first automobile, Benz's Motorwagen was not
the first self-propelled vehicle created. But it was the first to bridge the gap between the
horse-drawn buggy and what the automobile would become, with the use of an internal
combustion engine.

Similarly, GM's H2O pickup truck is not the first experimental fuel cell vehicle to be built. But it
is the first to be powered by gasoline, and thus to potentially bridge the gap between today's
petroleum-fuelled automobile and the much cleaner hydrogen-fuelled vehicle we could all be
driving in 10 to 20 years.

GM demonstrated what that vehicle could be like earlier this year, with the introduction of the
AUTOnomy concept car at the Detroit and Toronto auto shows. Powered by a hydrogen fuel
cell, it offers many advantages over today's cars, not the least being emissions-free operation.

For that reason, almost all of the world's major automakers are working hard on fuel-cell-powered vehicles. A fuel cell generates electricity electrochemically to drive the
vehicle via an electric motor or motors.

DaimlerChrysler, Ford and Toyota are all expected to introduce Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles
(FCEVs) within the next few years, albeit in very small numbers and controlled conditions.

But those cars face one huge obstacle. The Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells on
which they are based require hydrogen, and there is no commercial infrastructure for large-scale distribution of hydrogen.

Until such an infrastructure is developed, the market for FCEVs will be limited. And until
FCEVs exist in sufficient number, there is little motivation to develop a hydrogen infrastructure -- the classic chicken-and-egg situation.

That is where GM's H2O comes in. In addition to a PEM fuel cell, it is fitted with an on-board
gasoline reformer -- a catalytic conversion device that extraacts hydrogen from gasoline, leaving carbon dioxide (CO2), water, heat and some trace emissions of other fuel
constituents as byproducts.

Thus, it can be refuelled with gasoline, even though the fuel ultimately used by the fuel cell is
hydrogen.

The implications of that development are huge.

"This vehicle and the reforming technology in it moves us closer to a hydrogen economy," says Larry Burns, GM's vice-president of research, development and planning.

At the very least, it enables the early introduction of fuel cells as vehicle powerplants without
waiting for a hydrogen infrastructure to be developed. But it goes much further, according to
Burns.

"This is a driveable lab that is helping us learn to reform fuels for fuel cells to power cars, homes and businesses. You can reform gasoline on-board or at the gas station to produce hydrogen."

The next logical step is conversion at gasoline stations, thus eliminating the weight and complexity of an on-board reformer. The same technology could be incorporated in the equivalent of a gasoline pump, from which hydrogen could be dispensed directly to a vehicle.

GM has built and demonstrated just such a device.

One roadblock still to be overcome before direct hydrogen fuelling is practical is the issue of
on-board hydrogen storage. Although compressed hydrogen storage in high-pressure tanks
is safe and practical, the size of tanks required to provide the 400 to 500 kilometre driving
range to which drivers are accustomed is currently prohibitive.

GM and many others are working hard on solutions to the storage problem. Once sufficient
on-board storage capacity is available, the possibilities for refuelling expand even further.

Byron McCormick, GM's executive director of fuel-cell technology, explained the technology
used in the gasoline reformer can also be applied to natural gas, with slightly higher than its
80 per cent conversion efficiency. That capability opens the door for home refuelling, using a
natural-gas-to-hydrogen reformer right in your own garage.

With a hydrogen supply available in your home, why stop there? Why not use a stationary
fuel cell to generate your own household electricity, or even sell some back into the grid?

Last fall, GM, in conjunction with Toronto-based Hydrogenics Corp., demonstrated a
prototype of a stationary fuel-cell power generator that will begin field tests this year as an
emergency powerplant for Nextel Communications' remote cellphone towers.

That is just one of several technical alliances and equity partnerships GM has formed to help
develop fuel cell technology. Other partners include Calgary-based General Hydrogen, which
is active in hydrogen infrastructure development.

Another Canadian company, Stuart Energy of Mississauga, is among the leaders in hydrogen-generation technology, including electrolyzer development, working closely with
Ford and other automakers.

Extracting hydrogen from water in electrolyzers, using electricity, is another potential source
of hydrogen supply.

Once electricity can be generated in volume by renewable means, such as solar, wind or
geo-thermal energy, that may be the ideal source of hydrogen for it will be both renewable
and truly emissions-free.

According to McCormick, GM encourages the contribution of other companies like Stuart. The
task of developing a hydrogen economy is far bigger than any one company, or even one
country, can accomplish, he said.

He added GM is in the fuel-cell race for the long haul, undeterred that others may get to
market first with limited-production FCEVs. He likens the race to a marathon, in which we are
at about the 10 kilometre mark.

The winner will be the first company to build an affordable and profitable FCEV and sell a
million of them, he added.

The H2O pickup truck could be a significant step in achieving that goal. A historic step -- and
we were there.

The technology used in the gasoline reformer can also be applied to natural gas, with slightly
higher than its 80 per cent conversion efficiency. That capability opens the door for home
refuelling, using a natural-gas-to-hydrogen reformer right in your own garage.