15 June 2001: General Motors is investing in a hydrogen-storage company, Quantum Technologies, and says it expects to offer its first fuel cell vehicle for sale to the retail public by the end of the decade.
Fuel cells create electricity by mixing hydrogen and oxygen in a process which leaves only water as a byproduct.
Problems such as the storage of volatile hydrogen and a distribution system for the gas mean that the widespread use of fuel cells is still some way down the road.
Current vehicles with fuel cells storing hydrogen at a pressure of 2,500 to 3,000 pounds per square inch (psi) can travel about 100 to 150 miles before refueling.
Quantum has developed a hydrogen storage tank that can safely store hydrogen at 5,000 psi, extending the driving range up to 250 miles and the company is developing a tank will have available a tank that stores hydrogen at 10,000 psi.
GM and Quantum will also work on other means of storing hydrogen, such as in liquid form or metal and chemical hydrides.
Fuel cell propulsion systems are now about 10 times more expensive than an internal combustion engine.
GM is also collaborating with Toyota and Exxon Mobil Corp on fuel cell research.
