Originally published January 31 2005
GM R&D chief is pushing the hydrogen agenda
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The vice-president for research and development at automotive giant GM is evangelizing for the hydrogen economy. Larry Burns believes that GM will have a tested and functioning fuel cell propulsion system that is performance and cost comparable to internal combustion engines by 2010. Burns believes that the hydrogen car will make it possible for GM to maintain strong growth regardless of developments in the oil supply.
LARRY Burns doesn't look like an evangelist.
The General Motors vice-president for research, development and planning has spent the past few days at the Detroit motor show telling the world press about Sequel, the car giant's new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.
It's a concept that represents the next stage in what GM chairman Rick Wagoner says will be the auto industry's "moon shot": the ambitious goal of replacing petrol as first choice for the global fleet.
"Our goal is to have a fuel cell propulsion system, designed and validated, that would give you the performance required and also that would be comparable in cost when you're building about 1 million a year," says Burns.
Climate warming, energy independence, political instability or rapid growth in China -- in the huge Cobo Centre Hall where the motor show is being held, car companies have already responded with a swag of hybrid cars that combine petrol engines with electric motors for efficiency.
The success of the few models already on sale has taken the industry by surprise.
"That's a huge opportunity for cost competitiveness.
"Furthermore, the parts that you do have in an FCPS have very simple geometry -- it's more like making CDs or video cassettes than the traditional heavy-duty engine manufacturing line.
Hydrogen is already being produced in large quantities, he says, and the sources are many and varied -- coal, natural gas, any source of electricity.
There's a lot of safety knowledge out there."
And Burns demolishes the infrastructure argument like this: "Suppose you put hydrogen stations in the 100 largest US cities (representing 70 per cent of the population) so that none is more than 3.2 kilometres away, plus every 40 kilometres on all interstate highways.
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