What’s so significant about hydrogen fuel cells? Lots of things. These fuel cells (often compared to a battery) use both hydrogen and oxygen as fuel to produce electricity and water. From there, the electricity produced is used to power the vehicle and the water can be either emitted or captured for other uses, which is great for hostile desert conditions.
The vehicle itself is called the Colorado ZH2 and- you guessed it- is based on a stretched version of the Chevrolet Colorado (with many modifications to make it military-ready, of course). Featuring an Exportable Power Take-Off (EPTO) unit, the hydrogen fuel cells are used to power equipment in rough terrain and remote areas very quietly and with zero emissions. Additionally, the vehicle runs much cooler, so thermal cameras have a hard time detecting it.
As far as power goes, the ZH2’s drivetrain produces a horsepower of 174. This will feed one motor, which is linked to all four wheels but GM is, in fact, thinking about giving each axle its own motor.
Although you likely won’t be seeing the ZH2 on public roads, Charlie Freese, leader of GM’s fuel cell program, says that fuel cells will be making their way into customer hands at some point in time.
Since that point in time isn’t here quite yet, we hope you’ll stop by West Chevrolet in Knoxville, TN to check out the 2016 Colorado!
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