GM Delivers Fuel Cell Vehicle to Army
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army on Thursday became the first customer of General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet Equinox fuel-cell vehicle.
In a Capitol Hill ceremony, GM vice president Larry Burns delivered the vehicle to Maj. Gen. Roger Nadeau, commander of the Army research, development and engineering command. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., who helped secure about $4.6 million for the project over the last two years, also attended.
The Equinox is a four-passenger truck with 186 miles of petroleum-free operating range, GM says. The Army will use for it for non-tactical transportation purposes, primarily on military bases in Virginia and California.
Levin said the vehicle highlighted the domestic automobile's industry work in moving toward fuel cell vehicles, "and the Army provides an important test bed for this technology." The Senate Defense Appropriations bill includes $3 million for the program in fiscal 2007, although the amount could change before the federal budget is approved, according to a spokeswoman for Levin, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The fuel-cell market holds great potential, automaker executives say. Nearly every automaker is conducting tests of hydrogen-powered vehicles, which have received support from a five-year, $1.2 billion program to fund hydrogen research unveiled by President Bush in his 2003 State of the Union address.
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In a Capitol Hill ceremony, GM vice president Larry Burns delivered the vehicle to Maj. Gen. Roger Nadeau, commander of the Army research, development and engineering command. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., who helped secure about $4.6 million for the project over the last two years, also attended.
The Equinox is a four-passenger truck with 186 miles of petroleum-free operating range, GM says. The Army will use for it for non-tactical transportation purposes, primarily on military bases in Virginia and California.
Levin said the vehicle highlighted the domestic automobile's industry work in moving toward fuel cell vehicles, "and the Army provides an important test bed for this technology." The Senate Defense Appropriations bill includes $3 million for the program in fiscal 2007, although the amount could change before the federal budget is approved, according to a spokeswoman for Levin, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The fuel-cell market holds great potential, automaker executives say. Nearly every automaker is conducting tests of hydrogen-powered vehicles, which have received support from a five-year, $1.2 billion program to fund hydrogen research unveiled by President Bush in his 2003 State of the Union address.
story continued
posted by anthony m, at Thursday, September 21, 2006
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