General Motors and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) said today they will reveal a Chevrolet Colorado-based fuel cell electric vehicle in October at the fall meeting of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) in Washington, D.C.
The vehicle is being developed under an agreement between TARDEC and GM signed in 2015. The collaboration enables TARDEC to access consumer-driven automotive technology for use in military applications while providing GM with feedback on non-standard fuel cell technology applications. Neither GM nor TARDEC released vehicle specifics, but the Army is focusing on the technology and its capabilities, irrespective of the platform.
The Army claims it will use the vehicle to demonstrate the capabilities fuel cell electric propulsion and power generation systems can bring to the military, including quieter mobility, exportable power generation, low-end torque and water generation. The Army intends to conduct user assessments and demonstrations in 2017.
For 2017, the Chevrolet Colorado offers an all-new V6 engine and class-exclusive eight-speed automatic transmission. It is the latest tweak for Colorado, which entered the market for model year 2015. Chevrolet is on track to sell more than 160,000 Colorado pickups in the first two years on the market, arguably reigniting the mid-size segment that Ford Motor and FCA’s Ram are thus far ignoring.
“We expect the vehicle to be quiet in operation and ready to provide electricity generation for needs away from the vehicle. With fuel cell technology advancing, it’s an ideal time to investigate its viability in extreme military-use conditions,” said TARDEC Director Paul Rogers.
“This project is another example of how fuel cell propulsion can play a role in non-traditional applications,” said Charlie Freese, executive director of GM’s Global Fuel Cell Activities. “We need to continue pursuing these opportunities along with our plans for production of a commercial fuel cell system in the 2020-time frame.”
