General Motors and Honda will jointly develop next-generation hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle systems over the next seven years.
General Motors and Honda announced a long-term partnership Tuesday, to develop hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle systems aimed at giving consumers advantage on range and refueling time along with zero carbon dioxide emission. Leading automobile manufacturers are competing to develop fuel-cell vehicle systems, which reduces petroleum dependency and are environment friendly.
By sharing the expertise and common sourcing strategies, the leaders in the fuel-cell technologies will co-develop the fuel-cell systems and supply them at a lower cost. GM and Honda will jointly develop a common fueling infrastructure in the next seven years , an important factor in customer acceptance.
This will promote the idea of building more hydrogen fuel stations which are at a very low number currently.
The fuel-cell technology is far more reliable than the electric-powered vehicle, which takes up to eight hours to recharge compared with three minutes to fill a tank with hydrogen, according to the company's press release. Fuel-cell cars can run 400 miles with a three minute refuel.
"Among all zero CO2 emission technologies, fuel cell electric vehicles have a definitive advantage with range and refueling time that is as good as conventional gasoline cars," Takanobu Ito, president & CEO of Honda Motor Co. Ltd. said in a press release. "Honda and GM are eager to accelerate the market penetration of this ultimate clean mobility technology, and I am excited to form this collaboration to fuse our leading fuel cell technologies and create an advanced system that will be both more capable and more affordable."
Currently, only two automobile companies in the U.S., Honda and Mercedes-Benz, have the fuel-cell technology used in cars. Honda plans to launch a next generation model of its FCX fuel-cell powered car in the United States by 2015. GM had started a Project Driveway program in 2007, which covered 3 million miles on road with 119 hydrogen-powered vehicles, highest than any other automobile company ever achieved.
Similarly, Toyota Motor Corp and BMW AG have sketched plans to build fuel-cell vehicles by 2020. Daimler AG, Ford Motor Co and Nissan Motor Company also revealed plans of developing fuel-cell technologies in separate tie-ups within the next five years.
