GM and U.S. Army confirm joint fuel cell vehicle

General Motors and the U.S. Army are cooperating on a fuel cell vehicle and we will get to see it in October. The automaker is releasing a teaser photo of the vehicle, based on the Chevrolet Colorado truck platform . The actual vehicle will be unveiled at the fall meeting of the Association of the United States Army, in Washington, D.C., in October.

The Army has been investigating the use of fuel cell vehicles for years. Spokespeople at Tank Automotive Command in Warren, MI, told me years ago that they need to find ways to generate electricity in remote areas like deserts. They have also been investigating ways to make vehicles quieter. Fuel cell vehicles would help solve both of those problems. Fuel cells also generate water as their only by- product which could help the troops.

GM and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) joined forces on the project in 2015. The Army will start field testing the vehicle, called the Colorado FCEV, in 2017.

In a statement, TARDEC director Paul Rogers says “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.

Neither GM nor TARDEC are saying what the vehicle will look like, but they are more interested in the technology, regardless of the platform.