Common Motors and Autocar Industries have signed a joint growth settlement to create a variety of zero tailpipe emissions vocational autos powered by GM’s HYDROTEC energy cubes.
Autocar, a market chief in custom-made vocational vans, views this initiative as an vital enlargement in providing sturdy, zero tailpipe emissions options to clients. Gas cell know-how provides an extra power propulsion choice to help Autocar’s vocational clients’ transfer towards EPA necessities.
Hydrogen gas cells are a key part of GM’s electrification technique which extends past battery-powered passenger autos. Gas cells mix hydrogen and oxygen to generate electrical energy by an electrochemical response. The gas cell allows the conversion of power saved in hydrogen into electrical energy to energy a automobile.
Since gas cells are light-weight and allow massive payloads, glorious vary, quiet operation and speedy refueling, they will meet the wants of the heaviest obligation purposes. With rules quickly altering in lots of international locations, gas cell-powered autos have the added benefit of zero tailpipe emissions when in comparison with diesel autos.
“EV propulsion programs like GM’s Ultium Platform are nice options for electrifying passenger autos, however bigger autos like Autocar’s class 8 vans, refuse vans and terminal tractors require sturdy options that allow vital power carrying capability and quick refueling instances,” mentioned Charlie Freese, GM govt director, World HYDROTEC. “We need to allow zero tailpipe emissions options for the biggest, highest power consuming autos, and gas cells are perfect for probably the most power intensive purposes.”
These collectively developed vans will likely be powered by GM’s HYDROTEC energy cubes, that are GM’s gas cell propulsion system resolution for these very demanding business autos. HYDROTEC energy cubes are compact, straightforward to bundle, scalable and might electrify autos and purposes throughout a wide range of industries, from freight trucking, aerospace and locomotives to energy era.
The primary of those autos is predicted to enter manufacturing in 2026 on the Autocar Truck Plant in Birmingham, Alabama. Autos with HYDROTEC know-how will likely be constructed to order by Autocar and will likely be bought on to clients. Cement mixers, roll-off and dump vans, which all share a standard structure, will likely be constructed first, adopted by refuse vans and terminal tractors.
“Autocar gives custom-made vocational trucking options, and as rules change, we see HYDROTEC gas cells as an extra avenue for our clients to satisfy their EPA necessities with zero tailpipe emissions autos,” mentioned Eric Schwartz, president, Autocar. “GM’s scale, reliability and the aptitude of their HYDROTEC gas cell know-how will improve Autocar’s current platforms.”
Every energy dice comprises greater than 300 hydrogen gas cells, together with thermal and energy administration programs and proprietary controls to gas cell and battery life and efficiency whereas optimizing chilly begin functionality. The HYDROTEC energy dice gives 77 kilowatts of energy and is far quieter than a standard diesel propulsion system. A number of energy cubes will be arrayed in a automobile for even larger energy scores.
Triz Engineering will present professional integration help for energy distribution between the gas cell and batteries, which retailer electrical energy that’s captured from regenerative braking or is created by the HYDROTEC energy cubes. Triz Engineering is a business automobile engineering firm owned by GVW Group, which additionally owns Autocar.
“We now have rigorously studied current extreme obligation vocational vans to grasp their particular calls for and necessities,” mentioned Johann Vorster, president of TRIZ Engineering. “With GM and Autocar, we’ve got constructed a gas cell utility that’s distinctive inside vocational autos — giving extreme obligation trucking extra choices to be actually rugged and able to reaching zero tailpipe emissions.”
GM’s HYDROTEC gas cell energy cubes will likely be produced by GM in Brownstown, Michigan.
Dec 11, 2023