Opel And GM To Bring Fuel Cell Expertise To California 
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"HydroGen1" demonstrates major progress at Global Alternative Propulsion Center  
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Opel "Hydrogen1"

Photo: Opel/GM

Rüsselsheim - Opel´s parent company, General Motors, has announced that it has accepted an invitation from the California Fuel Cell Partnership to bring its expertise in fuel cell technology to California. GM notified Dr. Alan Lloyd, Chairman, California Air Resources Board, that it will accept the California Fuel Cell Partnership's invitation to join the collaboration working to advance the state of fuel cell technology. 

In recent months, Opel and GM engineers at the German and American research facilities of the Global Alternative Propulsion Center (GAPC) have made significant progress with the development of "HydroGen1", the road-going, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle based on Opel's Zafira compact van. Last month, the concept car had a high-profile appearance as the pace car for the men's and women's marathons at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.  

"The time is right to join the CFCP," said Harry J. Pearce, GM Vice Chairman, in announcing the decision. "Over the last 18 months we have focused our energy in several areas. We established a collaboration on advanced technologies with Toyota, another world leader in vehicle technology. And together with Toyota, we worked to establish the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's (WBCSD) Working Group on Sustainable Mobility, a unique global industry-government-academic collaboration focused on development and commercial acceptance of advanced transportation technology.  

According to Pearce, GM currently supports regional initiatives in many countries, including CO2 reduction efforts in Europe, identifying fuels for fuel cells in Japan, and efforts to bring cleaner transportation technologies to China. In California, he said that GM looks forward to a complete exploration of transition fuels for fuel cells, addressing safety issues, component standardization and development of a future hydrogen infrastructure.  

GM was the first automaker to demonstrate a driveable fuel cell vehicle in the late 1960s and has invested more than $1.5 billion in advanced vehicle research and development over the past decade. GM was the first fuel cell developer to demonstrate a fuel cell stack operating in freezing temperatures.  

After leading the marathons in Sydney, Opel and GM´s "HydroGen1" fuel cell vehicle moved on to China where it is currently participating in media programs and undergoing further testing. By the end of the year, the pollutant-free concept car will have covered thousands of kilometers on four continents. 

(October 18, 2000)