News From the Auto Industry

Burns is the vp of R&D for General Motors. And the team in question is working on developing fuel cells for vehicles that are potentially–and I think probably–going to replace internal combustion engines. And while some people imagine that this is a Jetsons’ dream, let me point out: (1) there are many people out there who don’t who the Jetsons are; they have been born and raised in a culture of pervasive advanced technology, so using hydrogen as a fuel isn’t anything that they’d think necessarily out of the ordinary; (2) these folks at GM are already developing, engineering, prototype building, testing, and preparing for productionizing fuel cells. On May 1, I was part of a small group who had the opportunity to drive a modified Chevy Electric S-10 pickup that was equipped with a fuel processor and fuel cell stack. What happens is that low-sulfur gas goes into the truck’s gas tank; it goes through a series of catalysts that, with the addition of air and water, “crack” the hydrogen out of the hydrocarbon. Th is hydrogen is then sent to the fuel cell stack, which then transforms the hydrogen into electricity (25 kW). The electricity is then used to power the electric motors that move the truck. As Kenneth D. Cameron, program executive, R&D and Planning, GM, noted, “This isn’t the most elegant way to do this,” referring to transforming gasoline into hydrogen on a vehicle rather than pumping [H.sub.2] into a tank in a way analogous to what you do at your local service station (they could have the reformer at the gas station). But (1) while this was nearly unthinkable not all that long ago, GM is sticking to its word and proving it–and it should be stressed that this little drive was the first time in history that any people who weren’t on the GM program have driven a vehicle like that and (2) what some would dismiss as “rocket science” probably is rocket science (Cameron, incidentally, flew on the space shuttle three times.)

Burns said it straight. They are working to create “affordable, profitable, high-volume fuel cell vehicles.” He’s talking about mass production in 2010. Lest that start a train of thought about the bad sequel to 2001, realize that that’s just 7.5 years from now. Burns et. al. are working on gasoline reformation, transforming natural gas into hydrogen, and transforming water (through electricity) into hydrogen. “We want to remove the automobile from the environmental debate,” Burns says. The exhaust is [H.sub.2]O, not something troubling to environmentalists. But said another way: There is a monosource of energy for powering cars and trucks right now: Oil. Not only are there environmental implications of burning that in internal combustion or Diesel engines, but look only to the Middle East to realize the economic implications and potentially destabilizing ramifications. Fuel cell vehicles can change that debate, as well.

Thus the importance of the technology incorporated into this S-10: The gasoline reformer would enable the user to refuel at any gasoline station, just as drivers do with conventionally powered vehicles. Although the vehicle represents a milestone, Burns and other GM engineers are quick to point out that the focus is on the technology and not on its mobility.

Burns says the stationary reformers - or even water electrolyzers that use electricity to separate hydrogen from water - also could be placed in the home, so that consumers would have a variety of options when it comes to how their hydrogen is created and distributed.

“You can’t conclude who is going to win the race (marathon) at mile six,” Burns claims. Although the Japanese have made meaningful strides with hybrids, GM says serious efforts only can be considered when alternative-powered vehicles become cost-competitive with today’s standard-powered equivalents, when alternative propulsion vehicles are economically viable at high-volume production and when alternative vehicles truly are “sustainable.”

The importance of the gasoline-reforming fuel cell, say GM scientists on hand for the event, is that it answers perhaps the largest concern regarding near-term fuel-cell commercialization: There currently is no infrastructure to deliver the hydrogen required to operate fuel cells. Moreover, the transition period between hydrogen fuel and today’s fuels will require public refueling facilities to handle both.