By Eric J. Savitz, editor-in-chief, GM News
The U.S. space program has spurred many widely adopted innovations. Cell phone cameras. Cordless vacuum cleaners. Memory foam. Velcro. Grooved highways. Freeze-dried food. (Mmmm, astronaut ice cream.)
One under-appreciated innovation from humanity’s quest for the stars is the practical application of fuel cells. Conceptualized nearly two centuries ago, fuel cells were used to power key systems in the Apollo program command module, like communications, drinking water, lighting, and air conditioning. Without them, we wouldn’t have made it to the moon – the best batteries of the era were insufficient to provide the required juice.
A few years before the first moon landing, General Motors had begun evaluating the potential for fuel cells to power vehicles. It’s an opportunity the company continues to pursue through GM HYDROTEC, which is developing fuel cells for mobile EV charging, trucking, aerospace, industrial, and marine applications. Sixty years ago, the idea of a fuel-cell powered vehicle was outlandish given the complexity and risks. It was a bold experiment, one which paid off with new understanding of the technology.
CAPTION: Dr. Craig Marks (left) of General Motors and Dr. Charles E. Winters of Union Carbide examine the heart of the hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell power system in the GM Electrovan
At the heart of the story is the Electrovan, a fuel-cell powered vehicle unveiled in 1966. Two years earlier, in 1964, GM had begun to explore both electric and fuel-cell powered cars. The project, which eventually included more than 200 engineers, first resulted in an electric version of the Chevrolet Corvair known as the Electrovair. Eventually, two other vehicles followed – an improved EV, the Electrovair II, and the Electrovan.
Led by GM chief engineer Craig Marks, the program included an aggressive effort to adapt the fuel cell tech used in the Apollo program for automotive propulsion. Working with chemical giant Union Carbide, GM in January 1966 began outfitting what became the Electrovan with “the largest hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell systems of its kind in the world.”
The engineers were starting from scratch with a technology in which GM had little initial expertise. In a 2017 interview, Electovan project manager Floyd Wyczalek said the first thing he did after assembling an engineering team was to take them to a Union Carbide research lab for a one-day crash course on fuel cells.
Most of the people on the trip, he said, had no idea what fuels cells were.
Ten intense months later, GM demoed Electrovan at “Progress of Power,” a media event on the GM tech campus in Warren, Michigan, which also featured the Electrovair II.
Caption: A diagram detailing the complex internal systems of the GM Electrovan
To understand just how audacious it was for GM to build a fuel-cell powered van in the 1960s, you need to know a little about the technology. Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen using a catalyst, in an electrochemical reaction that produces water, heat, and electricity. First developed in 1839 by Sir William Robert Grove, a Welsh-born lawyer and scientist, it took almost another century before the first practical fuel cell emerged in 1932, built by the British engineer Francis Thomas Bacon. Three decades after that, Bacon’s fuel cell design was adopted by NASA for use in the space program.
The Electrovan wasn’t exactly a looker. The vehicle was a modified 1966 GMC Handi-Van, a boxy commercial delivery vehicle, which in some configurations was used as a minibus. GM chose the Handi-Van because it had enough room for the sheer bulk and complexity of the system, which required large tanks of compressed hydrogen and oxygen.
According to documentation provided by the GM Heritage Center and Archive, the Electrovan weighed 7,100 pounds, of which 3,900 pounds consisted of the powerplant and electric drive systems. GM estimated the Electrovan’s range at 150 miles, although for safety reasons it was never driven on public roads. The vehicle had a zero to 60 mph acceleration time of 30 seconds – it was no sprinter. And the space required for the equipment turned the 6-seat Handi-Van into a cramped two-seater.
Caption: Dr. Charles E. Winters of Union Carbide (left) and Dr. Craig Marks of General Motors and examine equipment required for the GM Electrovan.
The Electrovan required 550 feet of piping, miles of electrical wiring, supercooled tanks of oxygen and hydrogen, and a third tank with 47 gallons of potassium hydroxide, used as a reagent. The system included 32 cells produced by Union Carbide - each roughly the size of a standard car battery - which covered the floor of the Electrovan. (There was also a tank filled with fire retardant…just in case.)
Starting the Electrovan wasn’t simply a matter of turning a key. A 1967 technical paper written by Marks, Wyczalek, and their colleague Edward Rishavy, notes that the complex process to start the vehicle on average required about three hours, to be certain the system was functioning safely. Made sense to be careful with a vehicle driving around with pressurized tanks of combustible gases.
“Engineers on the project had to consider a whole new set of safety questions – not safety in the highway accident sense, but in minimizing the hazards associated with hydrogen, oxygen and concentrated potassium hydroxide,” GM wrote in a 1969 report on the Electrovan.
Caption: Dr. Craig Marks (left) of General Motors and Dr. Charles E. Winters of Union Carbide inside the cabin of the GM Electrovan.
During the development period, GM built a special outdoor test area away from permanent buildings on the Warren campus, which turned out to be wise. During testing in September 1966, an external hydrogen tank exploded, sending debris flying a quarter mile away. (Fortunately, no one was injured.)
The Electrovan was a fascinating experiment, but it was never viewed as a potential production vehicle. As GM has noted, the cost of the platinum required for the fuel cell system alone would have funded the purchase of a whole fleet of conventional vans. Another practical issue was how anyone driving an Electrovan would ever refuel it. But the fact is that GM really did successfully build a fuel cell powered vehicle nearly 60 years ago.
“The objective of this demonstration,” GM executive VP Edward Cole said in a press release issued in 1966, “is to give a public review of what General Motors has been doing, what we are doing today, and where our search for better systems of power conversion and transmission may lead us in the future.”
INSERT VIDEO HERE
Caption: This 1966 video highlights the launch of both the fuel-cell powered Electrovan and the battery-powered Electrovair II.
Cole noted in the same release that the Electrovan project demonstrated that “electrical propulsion by fuel cells is technically feasible.” But he added that “size, weight and cost of the power source” would need to be “radically improved” to make a practical vehicle.
Charlie Freese, executive director for GM’s fuel cell business, says the Electrovan program set the stage for modern fuel cells, which pull oxygen from the air, rather than from tanks of compressed gas. “It showed the potential of fuel cells as a propulsion system for vehicles,” Freese said in a recent interview with GM News. “It also hinted to where the strength of the fuel cell is - it's best adapted to bigger vehicles where you're going to move a bigger, heavier payload, where capable batteries would add substantial mass and packaging penalties, compromising the vehicles payload capacity and overall utility.”
Freese says modern fuel cells offer an attractive alternative for large vehicles, like those now powered by diesel engines. Fuel cells make less sense for small vehicles where battery-electric power can provide an efficient alternative to internal combustion engines.
“The bigger the vehicle, the heavier the payload that it moves, the more energy you need on board,” he explains. “The battery gets bigger and heavier. This isn’t a problem for small cars. Smaller battery-electric vehicles are about 92% efficient and can package sufficient battery capacity, but with large cargo carrying vehicles, payload is compromised by 20% to 24% to accommodate the batteries. Then the vehicle purchase and operating costs far outweigh the benefits of a highly efficient electric propulsion system. And if you put a giant battery in a large vehicle, it takes a lot longer to charge. Long-haul Class 8 trucks run continuously, with multiple shifts of drivers, only making short stops for refueling. You would need to charge quickly, and that doesn’t happen with massive batteries. Hydrogen has the advantage of densely storing a lot of energy in a very compact space, and it can be fueled very quicky, almost as quickly as gasoline.”
Caption: The GM Electrovan, side view
The bottom line is that six decades after Electrovan’s moment in the spotlight, GM continues to work with customers on fuel-cell powered vehicles and equipment. The best news? Fuel cells no longer fill an entire van.
GM’s HYDROTEC power cube is modular. Each one packs 300 fuel cells and supporting components into a package the size of a large suitcase. These power cubes can be stacked, or paired with a high-voltage battery pack, for more demanding applications, from mobile EV charging stations to moving trucks or even mining equipment. Last year GM started producing its first commercial fuel cells in Brownstown, Michigan, through its 50:50 joint venture with Honda. GM is working with partners, like Komatsu and Autocar, to package HYDROTEC systems into their vehicles. HYDROTEC has also powered noteworthy GM vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2.
“The major advantages of fuel cells have been verified,” Marks and his co-authors wrote in their 1967 paper. “Our program demonstrated that fuel cell technology has reached the point where a high output vehicular powerplant is technically feasible.” And we’re still working on it – the fuel cell dream is finally becoming a reality.
Editor’s note: Retro Rides highlights noteworthy vehicles from the long history of General Motors. Over more than a century, GM has produced a huge variety of cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, station wagons, and even buses, some fondly remembered and sought after by collectors, others largely forgotten but worthy of rediscovery. With Retro Rides, we’re casting a fresh spotlight on some of GM’s great design, engineering and technology ideas of the past. Big thanks to the GM Heritage Center and Archives for making this series possible. If there’s a GM vehicle you think we should revisit, reach out to news@gm.com.
Eric J. Savitz is editor-in-chief of GM News.
The U.S. space program has spurred many widely adopted innovations. Cell phone cameras. Cordless vacuum cleaners. Memory foam. Velcro. Grooved highways. Freeze-dried food. (Mmmm, astronaut ice cream.)
One under-appreciated innovation from humanity’s quest for the stars is the practical application of fuel cells. Conceptualized nearly two centuries ago, fuel cells were used to power key systems in the Apollo program command module, like communications, drinking water, lighting, and air conditioning. Without them, we wouldn’t have made it to the moon – the best batteries of the era were insufficient to provide the required juice.
A few years before the first moon landing, General Motors had begun evaluating the potential for fuel cells to power vehicles. It’s an opportunity the company continues to pursue through GM HYDROTEC, which is developing fuel cells for mobile EV charging, trucking, aerospace, industrial, and marine applications. Sixty years ago, the idea of a fuel-cell powered vehicle was outlandish given the complexity and risks. It was a bold experiment, one which paid off with new understanding of the technology.
At the heart of the story is the Electrovan, a fuel-cell powered vehicle unveiled in 1966. Two years earlier, in 1964, GM had begun to explore both electric and fuel-cell powered cars. The project, which eventually included more than 200 engineers, first resulted in an electric version of the Chevrolet Corvair known as the Electrovair. Eventually, two other vehicles followed – an improved EV, the Electrovair II, and the Electrovan.
Led by GM chief engineer Craig Marks, the program included an aggressive effort to adapt the fuel cell tech used in the Apollo program for automotive propulsion. Working with chemical giant Union Carbide, GM in January 1966 began outfitting what became the Electrovan with “the largest hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell systems of its kind in the world.”
The engineers were starting from scratch with a technology in which GM had little initial expertise. In a 2017 interview, Electovan project manager Floyd Wyczalek said the first thing he did after assembling an engineering team was to take them to a Union Carbide research lab for a one-day crash course on fuel cells.
Most of the people on the trip, he said, had no idea what fuels cells were.
Ten intense months later, GM demoed Electrovan at “Progress of Power,” a media event on the GM tech campus in Warren, Michigan, which also featured the Electrovair II.
To understand just how audacious it was for GM to build a fuel-cell powered van in the 1960s, you need to know a little about the technology. Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen using a catalyst, in an electrochemical reaction that produces water, heat, and electricity. First developed in 1839 by Sir William Robert Grove, a Welsh-born lawyer and scientist, it took almost another century before the first practical fuel cell emerged in 1932, built by the British engineer Francis Thomas Bacon. Three decades after that, Bacon’s fuel cell design was adopted by NASA for use in the space program.
The Electrovan wasn’t exactly a looker. The vehicle was a modified 1966 GMC Handi-Van, a boxy commercial delivery vehicle, which in some configurations was used as a minibus. GM chose the Handi-Van because it had enough room for the sheer bulk and complexity of the system, which required large tanks of compressed hydrogen and oxygen.
According to documentation provided by the GM Heritage Center and Archive, the Electrovan weighed 7,100 pounds, of which 3,900 pounds consisted of the powerplant and electric drive systems. GM estimated the Electrovan’s range at 150 miles, although for safety reasons it was never driven on public roads. The vehicle had a zero to 60 mph acceleration time of 30 seconds – it was no sprinter. And the space required for the equipment turned the 6-seat Handi-Van into a cramped two-seater.
During the development period, GM built a special outdoor test area away from permanent buildings on the Warren campus, which turned out to be wise. During testing in September 1966, an external hydrogen tank exploded, sending debris flying a quarter mile away. (Fortunately, no one was injured.)
The Electrovan was a fascinating experiment, but it was never viewed as a potential production vehicle. As GM has noted, the cost of the platinum required for the fuel cell system alone would have funded the purchase of a whole fleet of conventional vans. Another practical issue was how anyone driving an Electrovan would ever refuel it. But the fact is that GM really did successfully build a fuel cell powered vehicle nearly 60 years ago.
“The objective of this demonstration,” GM executive VP Edward Cole said in a press release issued in 1966, “is to give a public review of what General Motors has been doing, what we are doing today, and where our search for better systems of power conversion and transmission may lead us in the future.”
This 1966 video highlights the launch of both the fuel-cell powered Electrovan and the battery-powered Electrovair II.
Cole noted in the same release that the Electrovan project demonstrated that “electrical propulsion by fuel cells is technically feasible.” But he added that “size, weight and cost of the power source” would need to be “radically improved” to make a practical vehicle.
Charlie Freese, executive director for GM’s fuel cell business, says the Electrovan program set the stage for modern fuel cells, which pull oxygen from the air, rather than from tanks of compressed gas. “It showed the potential of fuel cells as a propulsion system for vehicles,” Freese said in a recent interview with GM News. “It also hinted to where the strength of the fuel cell is - it's best adapted to bigger vehicles where you're going to move a bigger, heavier payload, where capable batteries would add substantial mass and packaging penalties, compromising the vehicles payload capacity and overall utility.”
Freese says modern fuel cells offer an attractive alternative for large vehicles, like those now powered by diesel engines. Fuel cells make less sense for small vehicles where battery-electric power can provide an efficient alternative to internal combustion engines.
“The bigger the vehicle, the heavier the payload that it moves, the more energy you need on board,” he explains. “The battery gets bigger and heavier. This isn’t a problem for small cars. Smaller battery-electric vehicles are about 92% efficient and can package sufficient battery capacity, but with large cargo carrying vehicles, payload is compromised by 20% to 24% to accommodate the batteries. Then the vehicle purchase and operating costs far outweigh the benefits of a highly efficient electric propulsion system. And if you put a giant battery in a large vehicle, it takes a lot longer to charge. Long-haul Class 8 trucks run continuously, with multiple shifts of drivers, only making short stops for refueling. You would need to charge quickly, and that doesn’t happen with massive batteries. Hydrogen has the advantage of densely storing a lot of energy in a very compact space, and it can be fueled very quicky, almost as quickly as gasoline.”
The bottom line is that six decades after Electrovan’s moment in the spotlight, GM continues to work with customers on fuel-cell powered vehicles and equipment. The best news? Fuel cells no longer fill an entire van.
GM’s HYDROTEC power cube is modular. Each one packs 300 fuel cells and supporting components into a package the size of a large suitcase. These power cubes can be stacked, or paired with a high-voltage battery pack, for more demanding applications, from mobile EV charging stations to moving trucks or even mining equipment. Last year GM started producing its first commercial fuel cells in Brownstown, Michigan, through its 50:50 joint venture with Honda. GM is working with partners, like Komatsu and Autocar, to package HYDROTEC systems into their vehicles. HYDROTEC has also powered noteworthy GM vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2.
“The major advantages of fuel cells have been verified,” Marks and his co-authors wrote in their 1967 paper. “Our program demonstrated that fuel cell technology has reached the point where a high output vehicular powerplant is technically feasible.” And we’re still working on it – the fuel cell dream is finally becoming a reality.
Editor’s note: Retro Rides highlights noteworthy vehicles from the long history of General Motors. Over more than a century, GM has produced a huge variety of cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, station wagons, and even buses, some fondly remembered and sought after by collectors, others largely forgotten but worthy of rediscovery. With Retro Rides, we’re casting a fresh spotlight on some of GM’s great design, engineering and technology ideas of the past. Big thanks to the GM Heritage Center and Archives for making this series possible. If there’s a GM vehicle you think we should revisit, reach out to news@gm.com.