General Motors Co. in Detroit and Chicago’s Autocar Industries have agreed to jointly develop a range of zero-tailpipe-emissions vocational vehicles powered by GM’s HYDROTEC hydrogen-fueled power cubes or fuel cells.
Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity through an electrochemical reaction. The fuel cell enables the conversion of energy stored in hydrogen into electricity to power a vehicle.
The jointly developed trucks will be powered by the GM’s HYDROTEC power cube, which is GM’s fuel cell propulsion system solution for commercial vehicles that run in demanding environments.
HYDROTEC power cubes are compact, easy to package, scalable, and can electrify vehicles and applications across a variety of industries including freight trucking, aerospace, locomotives, and power generation, according to GM.
“EV propulsion systems like GM’s Ultium Platform are great solutions for electrifying passenger vehicles, but larger vehicles like Autocar’s class 8 trucks, refuse trucks, and terminal tractors require robust solutions that enable significant energy carrying capacity and fast refueling times,” says Charlie Freese, executive director of global HYDROTEC for GM. “We want to enable zero tailpipe emissions solutions for the largest, highest-energy-consuming vehicles, and fuel cells are ideal for the most energy intensive applications.”
The first of these vehicles is expected to go into production in 2026 at the Autocar Truck Plant in Birmingham, Ala. The HYDROTEC fuel cell power cubes will be produced by GM in Brownstown Charter Township in the Downriver area.
Vehicles with HYDROTEC technology will be built to order by Autocar and will be sold directly to customers. Cement mixers, roll-off, and dump trucks, which all share a common architecture, will be built first, followed by refuse trucks and terminal tractors.
“Autocar provides customized vocational trucking solutions, and as regulations change, we see HYDROTEC fuel cells as an additional avenue for our customers to meet their EPA requirements with zero tailpipe emissions vehicles,” says Eric Schwartz, president of Autocar. “GM’s scale, reliability, and the capability of their HYDROTEC fuel cell technology will enhance Autocar’s existing platforms.”
Triz Engineering in Alabama, a commercial vehicle engineering company owned by GVW Group, which also owns Autocar, will provide integration support for power distribution between the fuel cell and batteries, which store electricity that is captured from regenerative braking or is created by the HYDROTEC power cubes.
“We have carefully studied existing severe duty vocational trucks to understand their specific demands and requirements,” says Johann Vorster, president of TRIZ Engineering. “With GM and Autocar, we have built a fuel cell application that is unique within vocational vehicles — giving severe duty trucking more options to be truly rugged and capable of achieving zero tailpipe emissions.”
Since fuel cells are lightweight and enable large payloads, excellent range, quiet operation and rapid refueling, they can meet the needs of the heaviest duty applications, the companies say. With regulations rapidly changing in many countries, fuel cell-powered vehicles have the added advantage of zero tailpipe emissions when compared to diesel vehicles.
Each power cube contains more than 300 hydrogen fuel cells, along with thermal and power management systems and proprietary controls to fuel cell and battery life and performance while optimizing cold start capability. The HYDROTEC power cube provides 77 kilowatts of power and is much quieter than a conventional diesel propulsion system, according to GM. Multiple power cubes can be arrayed in a vehicle for higher power ratings.
GM says hydrogen fuel cells are a key component of its electrification strategy, which extends beyond battery-powered passenger vehicles.
Autocar says it views this initiative as an “important expansion” in offering robust, zero tailpipe emissions solutions to customers.
