General Motors (GM) and Honda have recently announced the start of production at their 50-50 joint venture production facility, the Fuel Cell System Manufacturing LLC (FCSM), the first large-scale manufacturing joint venture to build fuel cells. Further, the two major automakers’ move signals a pivotal moment in the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell systems.
Honda and GM share the belief that hydrogen and fuel cell technology will play an increasingly important role in meeting a wide variety of zero-emissions energy and mobility needs. The world-class hydrogen power solutions built at FCSM will be used by both companies in various product applications and business ventures.
The 6,500-sqm FCSM facility was established in Brownstown, Michigan, in January 2017. GM and Honda engineering teams and their relevant intellectual property and expertise have been integrated at FCSM to create more affordable, commercially viable hydrogen fuel cell systems to be used in various zero tailpipe emissions propulsion and energy management applications.
“GM and Honda are the first full fuel cell system manufacturing joint venture to begin volume production of fuel cells for transportation and beyond,” said FCSM president Suheb Haq. “We begin the process with raw materials for membrane and electrode all the way through completed systems. Ongoing investment and commitment by both companies are driving our success at FCSM. This commitment aligns with our mission of making high quality, durable, and affordable hydrogen fuel cell systems for a wide range of applications and customers.”
“We integrated the strengths of Honda and GM to create the most capable production system at this joint venture,” said Tetsuo Suzuki, FCSM vice president. “We brought a mass production mindset with attention to detail and a focus on high quality, and now we are ready to meet the needs of the customers for the future applications of fuel cell technology and the beginning of the hydrogen era.”
Honda and GM engineers began work in 2013 on the co-development of the next-generation fuel cell system. In addition to advancing fuel cell system performance, GM and Honda collaborated to double durability compared to the 2019 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell by using corrosion-resistant materials and improving low-temperature operation.
66% less expensive
Together, the two companies also focused on lowering development and manufacturing costs by leveraging economies of scale, advancing cell design, simplifying supporting auxiliary equipment, utilizing common sourcing, and reducing the use of costly precious metals. Through this collaboration, the new fuel cell systems will be two-thirds less expensive to produce compared to the cost of the fuel cell system in the 2019 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell.
Significant efforts have also been made at FCSM to ensure the highest levels of quality while improving manufacturing productivity. The venture incorporates many first-of-their-kind methods for automating membrane-electrode-assembly production and fuel cell stack assembly.
Both GM and Honda believe that hydrogen and fuel cell technology will play an increasingly important role in meeting a wide variety of zero-emissions energy and mobility needs, and each company has provided further details about its individual hydrogen business strategies. (Story courtesy of GM, photo by hondanews.com)
Photo caption: The GM-Honda joint venture makes fuel cell systems 66% less costly vs that used in the 2019 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell