GM partners with Navistar to power fuel cell semitrucks

General Motors will supply Hydrotec fuel cells to Navistar Inc. to power long-haul semitrucks. The partnership with Navistar marks GM's latest step toward broader commercialization of its electric vehicle technology.

In the past several months, GM has formed battery-electric and fuel cell partnerships with Honda Motor Co. and Nikola Corp., and the automaker launched BrightDrop, a commercial EV brand that signed FedEx Express as its first client for the EV600 electric van.

Navistar is launching a zero-emission long-haul system with GM and OneH2, which provides scalable hydrogen fuel systems and delivers hydrogen fuel for use in industrial vehicle and truck markets.

The companies declined to disclose the financial terms of the technology-development partnership.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services will pilot the trucks in 2022, and production models will be available in the 2024 model year, Navistar said in a statement.

Navistar expects the International RH Series fuel cell electric vehicle to have a range of more than 500 miles and a fueling time of less than 15 minutes.

"Hydrogen fuel cells offer great promise for heavy-duty trucks in applications requiring a higher density of energy, fast refueling and additional range," Navistar CEO Persio Lisboa said in the statement.

Two GM Hydrotec fuel cell power cubes will power the truck. Each compact cube contains at least 300 hydrogen fuel cells along with thermal- and power-management systems.

"GM's vision of a world with zero emissions isn't limited to passenger vehicles. We believe in EVs for everyone," Doug Parks, GM executive vice president of global product development, purchasing and supply chain, said in the statement. "We're thrilled to work with like-minded companies like Navistar and OneH2 to offer a complete solution for progressive carriers that want to eliminate tailpipe emissions with a power solution that can compete with diesel."

OneH2 also will provide hydrogen production storage, delivery and safety, and Navistar will take a minority stake in the company.

"There is a commitment here that all parties will play a strong role in developing an ecosystem solution," Lisboa said. "We hope that we will be enabling fuel cell commercial vehicles in North America."

GM plans to launch 30 electric vehicles globally through 2025, but the automaker doesn't want to apply the same technology to every use case, said Charlie Freese, executive director of GM's fuel cell business.

"We're putting [fuel cell technology] onto vehicles where we can show the customer value," Freese said on a conference call with members of the media.

The partnership provides "end-to-end coverage with a complete ecosystem," Freese said. "We have the fueling provided and a proven vehicle architecture. I think the whole thing is very unique."