Chevrolet Project Driveway Fuel Cell Program Passes 1 Million Miles This Week
By Mark Vann
Chevrolet Fuel Cell Vehicle Deployment Manager
It’s hard to believe only two short years ago we kicked off Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell electric vehicle deployments for Project Driveway at the Society of Environmental Journalists event in Palo Alto, Calif. Since then, our vehicles have accumulated almost 1 million miles in everyday driving conditions, predominantly on the streets of Southern California, New York and the greater Washington, DC-area.
No other automaker comes close to the number of miles we’ve driven using hydrogen in real world conditions, with real people driving these Equinox fuel cell EVs.
These people are teachers, homemakers, accountants, video game designers and people from many other walks of life just like you, and they were selected based on their passion for the environment and new media prowess. We’ve had around 70 families experience the Equinox fuel cell EV in their everyday driving routines and thousands more at the many ride-and-drive events we’ve participated in across the country.
During the past two years, I have personally ridden with several hundred people in the Equinox fuel cell EVs. The look of sheer amazement on peoples’ faces when they press the accelerator to the floor is priceless and their first comment is almost always, “Wow!”
People love the smooth powerful acceleration and doing it without consuming a drop of petroleum or emitting anything from the tailpipe except pure water vapor. The toughest day for our drivers is when they have to turn in the Equinox at the end of their loan.
We’ve learned a great deal from having the vehicles in varied usage and climates, from the heat of the San Fernando Valley in LA to the bitter cold winter of West Point, NY. We’ve used these experiences to extend fuel cell stack life and improve the regenerative braking system, which benefited our 2-mode hybrid vehicles since it’s the same brake system used on the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon 2-mode hybrids. Plus, we’ve applied what we’ve learned about fuel cell thermal design to the Volt battery design.
We could have tested these vehicles at our proving ground facilities, but the opportunity to have real people drive these vehicles gave us a much higher degree of relevant feedback on the vehicle’s performance – and even more important, it gave us a great opportunity to listen to our customers.
I think I have the best job at Chevy; people love this electrically driven vehicle. It’s quiet, smooth, has great acceleration and most importantly, it does all of this without consuming a drop of petroleum or producing any tailpipe emissions. Fuel cell vehicles are part of an energy diverse future and I’m proud we’re in a leadership position with this budding technology.
Join me and one of our DC-area drivers, Daniel Stewart, right here on Wednesday at 2 p.m. EDT for a live webchat to discuss the future of hydrogen and how fuel cell vehicles fit into the nation’s energy future. Daniel will also be able to give you a first-hand account of what it’s like to drive an electric vehicle powered by hydrogen as an everyday experience.
Our Project Driveway people in the DC-area will also be hosting a tweetup Wednesday evening in Arlington, VA beginning at 6 p.m. EDT. Join us if you’re available.
And make sure to use the hashtag #chevyfuelcell this week if you’re on Twitter and tweeting about fuel cells and hydrogen, because we will randomly select a few people for Equinox fuel cell EV rides from each of the Project Driveway markets (LA, NY, DC).
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Congrats on the milestone! You can even add that GM was so confident in the program, they even let a lawyer drive the car
- Eric
Dear Mark and the GM Project Driveway Team:
I want to thank you all for making Project Driveway such a memorable event for me. I wish you all the success in your endeavor to bring clean transportation technology to society.
This technology is critical for the sustainability of human activity and for the protection of public health. Kudos to you and GM for reaching the benchmark of 1 million miles. Now, here is to the sale of 1 million GM fuel-cell vehicles!
All the Very Best,
James
Mark is 100% right when he says how hard it is for us to turn in our Fuel Cell EVs! People are still asking me about the car, and my test-drive ended over 2 months ago. Go Dan! Have fun =)
I just picked up my Equinox today (9/8/09) from Scott Brierley (West Coast Fuel Cell Activities). I am so amazed on the progress that GM has made in Fuel Cell R&D. Letting the average person get their hands on prototype vehicles like this is one of the best programs GM has ever implemented.
I own two Hybrids and these are 2nd and 3rd generation Toyota based Synergy Drives. I have to say the GM FCEV system is AMAZING compared to the production Toyota systems.
The ride is smooth, no jerking when the ICE engine kicks in and out as in a Hybrid, great torque and acceleration via the 3phase AC electric motor. Love how quiet the Equinox is and the regen braking is much smoother than Toyota.
Keep up the great work GM!! Please work with State and Federal government to get the Hydrogen infrastructure in place. I look fwd to buying a Volt EREV or other GM FCEV.
I think everyone should remember—GM has a hundred Equinox fuel-cell vehicles in use around the world, plus previous-generation fuel-cell vehicles based on the Opel Zafira, while Honda has produced perhaps a couple dozen of both generations of the FCX, combined. I know which I would call “mass-produced”.
Congrats on the milestone! Glad the California Fuel Cell Partnership staff got to participate in Project Driveway and put on a few thousand of those miles!
Chris
Congratulations on the million mile milestone.
I am so proud to have been a part of reaching that goal.
“The toughest day for our drivers is when they have to turn in the Equinox at the end of their loan.”
Absolutely right. Even though I love my fuel efficient Toyota Matrix, I would trade it in a heartbeat for the Fuel Cell Equinox if there was enough H2 to go anywhere with it. It really is tough going back to an ICE vehicle no matter how fuel efficient it is.
Keep up the good work and let’s get H2 out around the country so we can purchase FCEV’s.
I’ve been a fan of hydrogen cars for years. But in the end there is still a very big white elephant in the room which has to be dealt with if hydrogen is to become anything more than a scientific experiment. The current fact is that producing hydrogen is extremely inefficient. Currently hydrogen driven cars represent a 25% grid to drivetrain efficiency while pure electric cars deliver an 85% grid to drivetrain efficiency. This is due simply because hydrogen itself cannot be efficiently produced and of the current methods, the most efficient involves using fossil fuels. Of course there are ways using electrolysis from hydroelectric or wind power. But these methods at least for now are nowhere close to meeting the demands of a supporting hydrogen infrastructure. Maybe in the future some of these problems will be solved. But the fact is that they aren’t and I don’t see how they could be without enormous changes in current infrastructure.
I’m glad that much has been learned from these prototypes and that some of their technology has been transferred to EVs. But that brings me to my next point which is that with the clear leaps being made in battery technology- such as the upcoming Volt- why not focus more resources in that direction versus one that for all practical purposes has almost insurmountable hurdles to overcome? With EVs all the consumer needs is a plug and an outlet. 2011 seems to be the big year to watch because numerous automakers big and small have electric cars in the 35k-40k price range that will deliver a 100 mile range. I think its safe to assume this range will increase rapidly over time. If you had asked me 5 years ago what kind of car would drive the future I would have told you hydrogen. But now I’m sure more than ever that the cars people will be driving will be all electric. I live in Palo Alto, CA and I see probably 2-3 Teslas on the freeway on a weekly basis. Sure- they cost $100,000. But the fact that these cars are on the road right now gives you a glimpse of where automotive technology is going. They will get cheaper and sooner or later plebeians like me will be able to buy them.
That said… What GM has done with fuel cell technology is amazing. I’m convinced that GM has perhaps the most advanced alternative technology than any other maker. But at times like these I think there needs to be some straight-cut priorities. Yes- the Volt is great. But an all electric vehicle is even greater. Perhaps you’re already working on this solution anyway, but even if so I’d personally focus more financial resources towards developing a pure EV rather than fuel cells which are nowhere near ready for general consumption.
I can’t wait until I can (once again) tell my kids… “I told you so” when the H2 infrastructure is in place. I am so excited for this Fuel Cell project and Project Driveway. Go Mark!
Impressive,
The coming generations will have so many choices.
I passed a Mercedes hydrogen bus in Perth Australia a few years ago
with a Ballard engine made just a few kms away from my home in Canada. Also watched a bevy of Fuel cell cars arrive in Vancouver a few months ago, see my video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QiNR2ApVY8
I also saw a gas turbine Chrysler being driven at the 1964 World Fair in NY and look what happened to that concept.
This isn’t about naive investors not understanding hydrogen. The investors are senior management from GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, and Volkswagen – and they do understand it. And given the engineering and business analysis capability they have, it’s highly likely they know more than any of us about hydrogen, fuel cells, batteries which are all used in fuel cell electric vehicles.
Edvard: the MOST efficient method of producing hydrogen involves nuclear, water, wind, solar; not fossil. New Holland (remember Ford tractors?) is working on a fuel cell tractor with the idea that farmers could produce their own hydrogen on farm, whether it be from animal and crop residue, or simply small footprint wind generators. Why not extend that same tech to the cars so that the future use of hydrogen-based fuel cell vehicles could extend outside of the eventual infrastructure of re-fueling stations so that owners could provide their own fuel – oops, I forgot for a minute – no federal tax/ no fuel for you.
BTW, Allis-Chalmers, another tractor company, (now AGCO) successfully demonstrated the first fuel cell powered vehicle in 1959. Propane was the fuel although its impurities played havoc with the alkaline fuel cell. The underlying idea, however, might deserve another look – that a much-safer-to handle-by-enduser fuel source could power a fuel cell vehicle, one whose distribution network already exists countrywide. So the overall efficiency of propane is way less than pure hydrogen, and a lightweight vehicle could go farther on one Kg of pure H at 5000 psi compared to equivalent lbs of LPG at lower pressure. Storage of LPG is way cheaper since tanks are built to 250# (yes pounds) working pressure as it only takes appr 172-177 psi to keep propane “liquid”.
One additional thought as fuel cell technology heads east. How will tunnel restrictions now targeted at propane expand to encompass hydrogen? Whether it be the Lincoln tunnel into Manhattan or the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel hydrogen fuel cell vehicles may face restrictions on where they can drive.
ChiefPontiac,
The most common practice for producing hydrogen is from methane and other fossil fuels. So yes- I could possibly see a tractor being used having been fueled by animal byproducts. But seriously- that’s the kind of stuff you used to read in Popular mechanics in the 50’s. The fact remains that consumers want to pull up to a pump, fill the tank, and go. Forget nuclear too. The attitude in the US regarding it is shaky at best. Want to build a nuclear plant? “not in my backyard!” will be the response.
I’m all about progress and change. But the fact remains that at this current time hydrogen is produced mainly with fossil fuels while at the same time battery technology is developing very rapidly. Simply put- why not go with something that’s already starting to work and doesn’t require capturing gas from cows?
Man, I sure wish I could participate before it ends. I’m in the right geographic area, I passed the survey questions, AND I’m on the gongos research site! It would be neat to live with this for a month or three. I’m sure it would be a great prequel for the Volt I’m dead set on buying!