Give it some gas

May 02, 2025Newsletter Archives

One way to generate electricity is to use fuel cells, which combine oxygen and hydrogen, creating power, water, and heat in the process. Fuel cells are not a new idea – the technology was initially developed in 1839 by Sir William Robert Grove, a Welsh-born lawyer and scientist. More than a century later, fuel cells were adopted by NASA to provide power and water for the Apollo program command module. 

General Motors has been experimenting with fuel cells as a power source for vehicles for more than 60 years, and our GM HYDROTEC business continues to develop the technology for mobile EV charging, trucking, aerospace, industrial, and marine applications.  

GM’s fuel cell story starts with the Electrovan, a fascinating experiment which we demonstrated to the world in 1966, and which we revisited this week on GM News with the latest edition of Retro Rides, our series about historically interesting General Motors vehicles. 

The Electrovan was a modified version of the GMC Handi-Van, a boxy commercial delivery vehicle. GM chose the Handi-Van for its initial fuel cell vehicle because it had enough room for the sheer bulk and complexity of the system, which required large tanks of compressed hydrogen and oxygen. The Electrovan weighed 7,100 pounds, including 3,900 pounds of powerplant and electric drive systems.  

The Electrovan was a fascinating experiment, but it was never viewed as a potential production vehicle. The cost of the platinum required for the fuel cell system alone would have funded the purchase of a whole fleet of conventional vans. But the fact is that GM really did successfully build the first fuel cell powered vehicle nearly 60 years ago. 

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.” 

The bottom line: six decades after Electrovan’s moment in the spotlight, GM continues to work with customers on fuel-cell powered vehicles – and fuel cell systems no longer fill an entire van. 

-- Eric Savitz, editor-in-chief, GM News