Honey, I shrunk the fuel cell! Next-gen GM hydrogen stack gets small
GM next generation and current fuel cell stacks - Click above for high-res image gallery
In spite of the cuts at General Motors over the past year, work has continued in the powertrain labs at the Warren, MI tech center on hydrogen fuel cells. Back in 2007, GM shifted much of its fuel cell work from the Honeoye Falls, NY research facility to the production engineering group in Warren. The result is the fifth-generation fuel cell stack shown above on the left. The unit on the right is the stack from the fuel cell Equinoxes that are running as part of Project Driveway in California, New York and Washington, DC. The new generation unit matches the 93 kW output of the Equinox unit but occupies the same volume as the 2.4-liter EcoTec four cylinder.
GM has engineered this new stack specifically with the aim of making it producable in volume at a much lower cost than previous designs. That means it gets a cast case with integrated cooling passages and other subsystems. One of the highest cost elements of a fuel cell stack is the platinum used as a catalyst. Read on after the jump.
Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
The fourth-gen stack in the Equinox uses 80 g of platinum while the new stack uses just 30 g. This new stack is due for production in volumes of up to 10,000 units a year by the middle of the next decade. In the subsequent iteration, GM plans to have the platinum content down to under 10 g, which would put it on a par with current catalytic converters.
Other areas where the engineers have optimized the new stack are the subsystems like the hydrogen injector. They have gone from a massive unit about the size of a text book to a much smaller unit similar in size to a current fuel injector. Not only is the new unit smaller and lighter, it is much less expensive to make.
GM's Project Driveway field test has now been running for almost two years and there are about 116 Equinoxes on the road in the U.S. and Europe. The drivers operating these fuel cell crossovers have now accumulated almost a million miles and the engineers continue to optimize the control software. The result is that the durability of the stack has been significantly improved from the original 50,000 miles to over 80,000 miles. In addition, the range of the Equinox has climbed from the original 160 miles to over 200 miles. Between GM, Daimler, Toyota and Honda, there has been a lot of progress on automotive fuel cells. Now, if only they could do something about that pesky problem of finding hydrogen.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Ghen 9:09AM (8/17/2009)
That's a huge reduction from an engineering standpoint, good job GM.
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Matt 5:15PM (8/17/2009)
I like the way they are thinking about this: COST
I'm sure every other manufacturer thinks about it too, but it's good to hear they are making some headway in reducing costs to bring FCEV's to reality.
Greg Blencoe 9:23AM (8/17/2009)
The rapid improvement in the GM fuel cell technology is indeed impressive. Toyota is even further ahead with their hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Check out the following post...
7 reasons to love Toyota hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
1. 431-mile real-world driving range with Toyota FCHV-adv (mid-size SUV) hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (See YouTube video below)
2. 68.3 real-world miles per kilogram fuel economy with Toyota FCHV-adv (See YouTube video below)
3. Ability to operate in temperatures as low as minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 30 degrees Celsius)
4. Irv Miller, TMS group vice president, environmental and public affairs made the following comment on August 6th:
“In 2015, our plan is to bring to market a reliable and durable fuel cell vehicle with exceptional fuel economy and zero emissions, at an affordable price.”
5. Masatami Takimoto, a Toyota executive vice president and board member, made the following comment in January at the North American International Auto Show:
“By 2015, we will have a full-fledged commercialization effort.”
6. The Toyota FCHV-adv (Highlander) hydrogen fuel cell vehicle has the same trunk and passenger space as the gasoline-powered version.
Click on the following link to see a picture of the trunk in the Toyota FCHV-adv hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.
7. Here is a comment made by Justin Ward, advanced powertrain program manager-Toyota Technical Center, in a Ward’s Automotive article (subscription required) that was published on July 16th:
“We have some confidence the vehicle released around 2015 is going to have costs that are going to be shocking for most of the people in the industry. They are going to be very surprised we were able to achieve such an impressive cost reduction.”
http://hydrogendiscoveries.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/7-reasons-to-love-toyota-hydrogen-fuel-cell-vehicles/
Greg Blencoe
Chief Executive Officer
Hydrogen Discoveries, Inc.
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EVdriver 10:18AM (8/17/2009)
"1. 431-mile real-world driving range with Toyota FCHV-adv (mid-size SUV) hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (See YouTube video below)"
Irrelevant, because there is no hydrogen distribution infrastructure.
"2. 68.3 real-world miles per kilogram fuel economy with Toyota FCHV-adv (See YouTube video below)"
Irrelevant, because there is no hydrogen distribution infrastructure.
"3. Ability to operate in temperatures as low as minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 30 degrees Celsius)"
Irrelevant, because there is no hydrogen distribution infrastructure.
"4. Irv Miller, TMS group vice president, environmental and public affairs made the following comment on August 6th:.."
Irrelevant, because noone can ride on plans.
"5. Masatami Takimoto, a Toyota executive vice president and board member, made the following comment in January at the North American International Auto Show:..."
Probably just another lie. We have been listening those for more than 40 years now.
"6. The Toyota FCHV-adv (Highlander) hydrogen fuel cell vehicle has the same trunk and passenger space as the gasoline-powered version."
Irrelevant, because there is no hydrogen distribution infrastructure.
"7. Here is a comment made by Justin Ward, advanced powertrain program manager-Toyota Technical Center, in a Ward’s Automotive article (subscription required) that was published on July 16th:..."
See 5.
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"Now, if only they could do something about that pesky problem of finding hydrogen."
They couldn't. To achieve this, they have to change the law of physics.
Mark 3:20PM (8/17/2009)
Greg you still have to convince people that following is acceptable. You need energy to extract H2 from a fuel, then compress it, transport it, store it on-site, re-compress it, trasfer it in a car which will use the H2 to recharge a battery to drive the car. Instead of just storing energy from the grid to a battery to drive a car.
Even if H2 was free it would still be less efficent when compared to ordinary electric.
meme 12:59PM (8/17/2009)
And the FCHV can be yours for a low, low lease price of $7,700 a month!
http://green.autoblog.com/2008/09/02/toyota-to-start-leasing-fuel-cell-vehicle-in-japan/#comments
Give it up, Greg.
Shock Me 10:37AM (8/17/2009)
Looks well enough sized to drop into a Gen III Volt.
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Chris M 5:53PM (8/17/2009)
That's the plan exactly, that way GM can use the least powerful least expensive fuel cell possible as a "range extender" only, with most of the power coming from the battery. Also, most local driving will be done on much less expensive electricity instead of H2, reducing operating costs.
Of course, I suspect most people will prefer EVs and more conventional PHEVs, and H2FCVs will go the way of Betamax and 8 track cartridges, withering away from lack of market share.
Chris M 5:24PM (8/18/2009)
It suddenly occurred to me another reason why GM is going "plug-in" for their H2FC project. Short running lifespan of the fuel cell! If it only lasts 80,000 miles when used as the main power supply, that simply isn't long enough and GM would loose big bucks in warranty replacements in just a few years. But if almost all the local driving is done using batteries only, the "H2 Volt" could go for months without using the fuel cell.
If 3/4 of the driving is done "battery only" without the H2 fuel cell running, then that automatically quadruples the effective lifespan to about 320,000 miles, well past the warranty expiration. It would then be the future "used H2 Volt" driver that would be stuck with the replacement bill. Hmm, maybe they'd just chuck the H2 part and go all electric...
Dave 10:29AM (8/17/2009)
"The fourth-gen stack in the Equinox uses 80 g of platinum while the new stack uses just 30 g. ... In the subsequent iteration, GM plans to have the platinum content down to under 10 g, which would put it on a par with current catalytic converters. "
I gotta admit thats impressive. Thats less than $500 worth of platinum at current prices.
"..durability of the stack has been significantly improved from the original 50,000 miles to over 80,000 miles."
With no mechanical connections, the system could be designed for removal and replacement with a rebuilt and/or upgraded unit in less than an hour.
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Dave 10:34AM (8/17/2009)
If GM's claims are true, a reasonably sized battery pack (200+ miles) may soon cost more than a fuel cell and many thousands of miles worth of hydrogen fuel.
meme 1:17PM (8/17/2009)
80g of platinum is still only $1.3k, but that didn't make the stack cost under six figures. Platinum costs are an issue for the hypothetical world where they can get all of the other costs of production down. Including, mind you, all of the standard EV electric drive components *and* the lithium-ion battery buffer that the FCV needs.
A couple additional observations: Anyone notice that the last generation fuel cell stack is as big as the Tesla Roadster's battery pack? Also, strange that they're claiming that these are the same power output, yet the new one has much smaller cabling coming off of it.
Chris M 4:51PM (8/17/2009)
Just looked up the price of platinum, it's about $1,260 per oz., so that would be $1,336 for 30 grams. If they could reduce it to 10 grams, that would be about $445.
Yep, that's an improvement, all right, though still several times more than the cost of a typical catalytic converter. Looks like they may actually bring the price down from "billionaires only" down to "Millionaires may qualify". It'll still cost a lot more than other PHEVs using more conventional range extenders.
The H2 promoters at GM plan on using the smallest least powerful fuel cell they can get away with, relying much more heavily on the same type of battery powering the Volt and using the fuel cell as a mere "range extender". Driving on electricity will cost far less than driving on H2 fuel, so virtually all of the local driving will be done without using any of that expensive H2 fuel!
Which brings up an interesting conundrum - With most drivers going to EVs and conventional PHEVs instead, and the few H2FC drivers using electrical charging for most of their driving, there might not be nearly enough demand for H2 fuel to pay for all the trillion dollar H2 refueling infrastructure to be installed! No wonder the oil companies want the Government to pay all the H2 infrastructure cost and assume all the risk!
gorr 10:35AM (8/17/2009)
68 mpg with free fuel without pollution for a truck of this size and power is reasonnable if you compare it to the gasoline version that get maybe 18-20 mpg with high fuel price and pollution. 10 grams of platinum is not necessary in fuelcell and catalytic converters, this is a gimmick of security by the same folks that exploded the wtc in 2001. Car manufacturers receive some money under the table for this and for suffocating people with diesel and gasoline, that's why they refuse to sell this simple and cheaper technology. Hydrogen gas cost something like 10 cents a gallon, all it need is some simple technology feed by little electricity and water, then it goes back to water.
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Avro 11:16AM (8/17/2009)
Although I usually just ignore your idiotic comments Gorr, this one is just too moronic not to make fun of.
Platinum a gimmick... right. So is gravity actually. Those oil companies keep up the gravity lie to keep us earth-bound so we can't just fly around instead of using oil powered cars. FIGHT THE MACHINE!!!
nickoo 1:15PM (8/17/2009)
This is awesome, it's amazing to see the progress that GM has made. 125 horsepower isn't bad for a 2.4 cylinder ICE, I think the ecotec has 180 or so, so they're nearly comparible size and power output to an ICE. The power to weight, size to weight ratios of the ICE are it's biggest advantages. With continued refinement of the design I'm sure they'll get there.
What is the weight comparison between the two? With the fuel cell there's no need to use the same extreme high heat, and explosion containing materials used in an engine, so I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it weighs less.
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Rick 11:12AM (8/17/2009)
Do this: Install a mini nuclear reactor at every gas station and electrolize hydrogen and add some electricity to the grid while you're at it.
Oh quit worrying about nukes - all the cool ships use it.
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Mike!!ekiM 3:59PM (8/17/2009)
Is Al Qaeda real? If so, can't do nuclear at the corner gas station.
Rick 8:31PM (8/17/2009)
well - somebody should be able to figure out the security for this situation - I guess the more logical thing is to put lots of secure nuclear plants all over the place - the gas station model might not be quite the thing.
Chris M 3:23PM (8/18/2009)
Those "cool ships" belong to a military of one government or another. I suppose we could have the military running the H2 dispensers, if you didn't mind a tripling of the already high H2 fuel prices... Military groups aren't known for keeping costs down.