General Motors and Honda start producing hydrogen fuel cells at a plant in Michigan

A joint venture between General Motors and Honda has begun production of hydrogen fuel cells. Over time, they will be used in “various products,” writes The Verge.

The FCSM facility has an area of more than 6,500 square meters. It was established in 2017 in Michigan. The plant was built thanks to a joint investment of $83 million by GM and Honda.

The companies call it “the first large-scale production joint venture for fuel cells.”

Hydrogen fuel cells use compressed hydrogen as a fuel, and its only emission is water vapor. Some automakers are interested in this technology, in particular because of its advantages in the development of heavy vehicles and mobile power generators.

Hydrogen has not found much success in the passenger car market. Honda was one of the few companies that sold hydrogen-powered cars. It was the Clarity model, but its production was discontinued in 2017.

The problem is the almost complete lack of refueling infrastructure. Automakers are currently focusing on work trucks and construction equipment. They assume that it will be easier to create infrastructure for vehicles that operate in limited areas.

Compact storage of hydrogen requires high pressures, low temperatures or chemical processes. Therefore, it is not an easy task. For light-duty vehicles, overcoming this challenge is important because they often have limited size and weight for fuel storage.