General Motors (GM, Traverse City, MI) recently unveiled a Chevrolet S-10 pickup that uses gasoline as a fuel for fuel cell propulsion. The truck, which houses a Gen III processor, reforms gasoline onboard, extracting a stream of hydrogen to send to the fuel cell stack.
The S-10 fuel cell generates 25kW, which translates roughly into 33hp. The truck's fuel processor and stack combine to power a battery charger for the vehicle's electric drivetrain.
"Of course there's a long way to go on several fronts. We are, after all, undertaking a historic change in transportation and propulsion technology," said Larry Burns, GM's vice president of research and development. "However, we're very encouraged by our rapid rate of progress and the exciting benefits of fuel cell vehicles."
Driving demonstrations of the gasoline-powered fuel cell pickup will be scheduled for early next year.
