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Opel HydroGen3 and GM Sequel: The Future Has Begun


June 2006
 Filed under: GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATE Car News | GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATE Headlines

- Investment by GM has already exceeded one billion U.S. dollars
- Series production of fuel cell automobiles moves ever closer

Paris (2006-06-10) -- There are 6.4 billion people on earth today. By 2020, there will probably be 7.5 billion. Over the same time span, the percentage of the population that owns a car is predicted to grow from 12 to 15 percent. This means that the 775 million motor vehicles on the world's roads today will increase to more than 1.1 billion by 2020. Reducing fuel consumption and emissions is therefore imperative. GM is fully aware of its responsibilities and, thanks to hydrogen fuel-cell technology, has a vision of zero-emission mobility for the future. GM and Opel have already invested over one billion research dollars in this technology. The development of fuel cell propulsion is proceeding rapidly. In just seven years, GM has improved the power density of its fuel cell stack by a factor of 14.

HydroGen 3


Hydrogen 3 X-Ray Drawing


GM Sequel Hydrogen Concept Car

The Opel HydroGen3 is proof that alternative propulsion has already made the leap from the laboratory to the road and is currently undergoing practical testing in Berlin in cooperation with the furniture store group IKEA. And the GM Sequel concept vehicle, first presented at the Detroit Motor Show in early 2005, demonstrates a further step toward innovative automobiles specifically developed for fuel cell propulsion.


Opel HydroGen3: Marathon runner, rally champion and customer service vehicle

The HydroGen3 is the successor to the HydroGen1 prototype introduced in spring 2000, which was also based on the Opel Zafira. Electric power is produced by 200 hydrogen fuel cell units connected in series in the fuel cell stack under the hood. These cells power the HydroGen3's 60 kW/82 hp electric motor.

The power plant, which develops a maximum torque of 215 Nm, delivers a top speed of 160 km/h and accelerates the fuel cell Zafira from zero to 100 km/h in about 16 seconds in almost complete silence. At the Fuel Cell Marathon held in spring 2004, the HydroGen3 covered 9696 kilometers through 14 European countries. In April 2005, it won the Rallye Monte Carlo for fuel cell-powered vehicles.

Swedish furniture-company IKEA and GM are currently collecting data on fuel cell technology under practical conditions as part of the Clean Energy Partnership Berlin’s (CEP) hydrogen demonstration project. The HydroGen3 emission-free fuel cell vehicle has been in operation with customer services of IKEA's Berlin-­Spandau store since last summer. Furniture buyers who opt for home service are surprised when they fail to hear the delivery vehicle arrive.


GM Sequel: Performance further improved

The GM Sequel is a product that brings together all the results of the intensive research conducted by the world's biggest automaker in fuel-cell vehicles in recent years – a project in which GM has invested over one billion U.S. dollars. This spacious vehicle was designed from the ground up to achieve zero-emission hydrogen propulsion.

The space gained through the use of by-wire technology for the steering and brake control systems is used to good effect by the three high-pressure tanks. The mid-chassis location of these tanks affords good protection and benefits the vehicle's center of gravity. In addition, all technical details of the propulsion system, which is already considerably more simplified and efficient than in the HydroGen3, have been optimized and represent the cutting edge of fuel cell technology.


Source: GME Product Development & Technology Communications

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