DETROIT, Jan. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- General
Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) and Honda (NYSE: HMC) today announced
establishment of the auto industry's first manufacturing joint
venture to mass produce an advanced hydrogen fuel cell system that
will be used in future products from each company.
Fuel Cell System Manufacturing, LLC will operate within GM's
existing battery pack manufacturing facility site in Brownstown,
Michigan, south of Detroit. Mass production of fuel cell systems
is expected to begin around 2020 and create nearly 100 new jobs.
The companies are making equal investments totaling $85 million in the joint venture.
Honda and GM have been working together through a master
collaboration agreement announced in July
2013. It established the co-development arrangement for a
next-generation fuel cell system and hydrogen storage technologies.
The companies integrated their development teams and shared
hydrogen fuel cell intellectual property to create a more
affordable commercial solution for fuel cell and hydrogen storage
systems.
"Over the past three years, engineers from Honda and GM have
been working as one team with each company providing know-how from
its unique expertise to create a compact and low-cost
next-generation fuel cell system," said Toshiaki Mikoshiba, chief operating officer of
the North American Region for Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and president
& CEO of American Honda Co., Inc. and Honda North America, Inc.
"This foundation of outstanding teamwork will now take us to the
stage of joint mass production of a fuel cell system that will help
each company create new value for our customers in fuel cell
vehicles of the future."
The Fuel Cell System Manufacturing (FCSM) joint venture will be
operated by a board of directors consisting of three executives
from each company that will include a rotating chairperson. In
addition, a president will be appointed to rotate between each
company.
GM and Honda are acknowledged leaders in fuel cell technology
with more than 2,220 patents between them, according to the Clean
Energy Patent Growth Index. GM and Honda rank No. 1 and No. 3,
respectively, in total fuel cell patents filed in 2002 through
2015.
"The combination of two leaders in fuel cell innovation is an
exciting development in bringing fuel cells closer to the
mainstream of propulsion applications," said Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president, Global
Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. "The eventual
deployment of this technology in passenger vehicles will create
more differentiated and environmentally friendly transportation
options for consumers."
Fuel cell technology addresses many of the major challenges
facing automobiles today: petroleum dependency, emissions,
efficiency, range and refueling times. Fuel cell vehicles can
operate on hydrogen made from renewable sources such as wind and
biomass. Water vapor is the only emission from fuel cell
vehicles.
In addition to advancing the performance of the fuel cell
system, GM and Honda are working together to reduce the cost of
development and manufacturing through economies of scale and common
sourcing. The two companies also continue to work with governments
and other stakeholders to further advance the refueling
infrastructure that is critical for the long-term viability and
consumer acceptance of fuel cell vehicles.
GM is currently demonstrating the capability of fuel cells
across a range of land, sea and air applications. The company has
accumulated millions of miles of real-world driving in fuel cell
vehicles.
"With the next-generation fuel cell system, GM and Honda are
making a dramatic step toward lower cost, higher-volume fuel cell
systems. Precious metals have been reduced dramatically and a fully
cross-functional team is developing advanced manufacturing
processes simultaneously with advances in the design," said
Charlie Freese, GM executive
director of Global Fuel Cell Business. "The result is a lower-cost
system that is a fraction of the size and mass."
Honda began delivery of its all-new Clarity Fuel Cell vehicle to
U.S. customers in December 2016
following a spring 2016 launch in Japan. The Clarity Fuel Cell received the best
driving range rating from the EPA of any electric vehicle without a
combustion engine with a range rating of 366 miles and fuel economy
rating of 68 miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent combined.
"The expertise Honda has established that led to creation of the
first-generation Clarity Fuel Cell system is valuable experience
that we are leveraging in the joint development of the
next-generation fuel cell system with GM," said Takashi Sekiguchi, managing officer and director
and chief operating officer of Automotive Operations, Honda Motor
Co., Ltd. "Our collaboration is an opportunity to further utilize
the strengths of each company to popularize fuel cell vehicles at
the earliest possible time."
GM and Honda collaborated in a powertrain cross-supply
arrangement in 1999 under which Honda manufactured 50,000 V-6
engines for the Saturn VUE and Honda received diesel engines from
GM's Isuzu affiliate for use in Europe.
About General Motors Co.
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM,
TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and
the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and
fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and
joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac,
Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and
Wuling brands. More information on the company and its
subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety,
security and information services, can be found at
http://www.gm.com
About Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Honda Motor Co. (NYSE:
HMC) designs, manufactures and markets automobiles,
motorcycles, power products and aviation products worldwide. A
global leader in powertrain and electromotive technologies, Honda
produces nearly 28 million engines annually for its three product
lines. Honda and its partners build products in more than 60
manufacturing plants in 27 countries, employing more than 208,000
associates globally.
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SOURCE American Honda Motor Co.