thedrifter
12-06-05, 12:39 PM
December 12, 2005
Corps debuts military vehicle powered by fuel cell
By Gidget Fuentes
Times staff writer
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Mix a four-wheel-drive pickup, alternative fuel and the Marine Corps, and what do you get? A beefy, money-saving set of wheels that, in the long run, might help develop the future line of tactical vehicles powered by emission-free hydrogen fuel.
This fall, the “GMT-800,” a five-passenger, twin-cab pickup that’s the first military vehicle powered with fuel-cell technology, began rolling along the streets of Camp Pendleton.
The GM fuel-cell pickup truck is the heart of a demonstration partnership between the Marine Corps and the automaker, said Bill Mardine, regional maintenance manager for Marine Corps Installations-West.
The automaker, which envisions fuel-cell vehicles on its showroom floors by 2010, this year debuted its first fuel-cell concept car, Sequel.
This pickup truck, which could serve as a prototype for future military fuel-cell utility vehicles, is the first demonstration project involving a full-size truck.
But it’s no ordinary pickup.
With twin fuel-cell packs and an electric motor, the throaty V-8 engine puts out 250 horsepower and 326 pounds of torque, cruises at up to 80 mph and can go 130 miles on its six-gallon fuel supply, or 20 to 25 miles per gallon, Mardine said. A gasoline or diesel truck of similar size gets about 15 miles per gallon.
Gary Funk, MCI-West regional fleet manager, is one of a few people who’ve driven the truck, plastered with the eagle, globe and anchor and signs proclaiming its place as the military’s “first-ever” fuel-cell vehicle.
“It’s a million-dollar vehicle. It’s made by people in lab coats,” Funk said. Five additional fuel-cell vehicles could be in place in the next six years as part of the demonstration, he added.
As a fuel, the 99.9 percent-pure liquid hydrogen, which is lighter than air, cuts down on particulates that enter the air and contribute to pollution, smog and so-called “greenhouse gases.” It’s considered a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels because of its clean emissions. “The byproduct is water,” Funk said.
The truck is also one of a twin-pronged project at Pendleton that includes the construction of the first hydrogen fuel-cell facility that would provide fuel for what could become a large fleet of military vehicles that use fuels other than regular gasoline and diesel.
Camp Pendleton soon will have the first fuel-cell facility to provide hydrogen for cleaner-burning fuel-cell vehicles.
In December, Pendleton officials expect to break ground on a fuel-cell fueling station along Interstate 5 that would be one in what California officials have touted as a “fuel-cell highway” running from Mexico to Canada. It also would support what could become a larger fleet of fuel-cell vehicles at Pendleton and the region.
An 80-acre site near the main gate would be outfitted with a fueling station, and workers will refurbish an existing train maintenance yard with a fuel production and storage facility.
The region is spending $170,000 to modify the existing buildings and install hydrogen sensors and ventilation, Funk said.
The fuel-cell truck originally was part of a joint GM-Army project announced earlier this year that would have included testing at Fort Belvoir, Va. The Marine Corps is coordinating with the Army on the demonstration project.
Ellie
Corps debuts military vehicle powered by fuel cell
By Gidget Fuentes
Times staff writer
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Mix a four-wheel-drive pickup, alternative fuel and the Marine Corps, and what do you get? A beefy, money-saving set of wheels that, in the long run, might help develop the future line of tactical vehicles powered by emission-free hydrogen fuel.
This fall, the “GMT-800,” a five-passenger, twin-cab pickup that’s the first military vehicle powered with fuel-cell technology, began rolling along the streets of Camp Pendleton.
The GM fuel-cell pickup truck is the heart of a demonstration partnership between the Marine Corps and the automaker, said Bill Mardine, regional maintenance manager for Marine Corps Installations-West.
The automaker, which envisions fuel-cell vehicles on its showroom floors by 2010, this year debuted its first fuel-cell concept car, Sequel.
This pickup truck, which could serve as a prototype for future military fuel-cell utility vehicles, is the first demonstration project involving a full-size truck.
But it’s no ordinary pickup.
With twin fuel-cell packs and an electric motor, the throaty V-8 engine puts out 250 horsepower and 326 pounds of torque, cruises at up to 80 mph and can go 130 miles on its six-gallon fuel supply, or 20 to 25 miles per gallon, Mardine said. A gasoline or diesel truck of similar size gets about 15 miles per gallon.
Gary Funk, MCI-West regional fleet manager, is one of a few people who’ve driven the truck, plastered with the eagle, globe and anchor and signs proclaiming its place as the military’s “first-ever” fuel-cell vehicle.
“It’s a million-dollar vehicle. It’s made by people in lab coats,” Funk said. Five additional fuel-cell vehicles could be in place in the next six years as part of the demonstration, he added.
As a fuel, the 99.9 percent-pure liquid hydrogen, which is lighter than air, cuts down on particulates that enter the air and contribute to pollution, smog and so-called “greenhouse gases.” It’s considered a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels because of its clean emissions. “The byproduct is water,” Funk said.
The truck is also one of a twin-pronged project at Pendleton that includes the construction of the first hydrogen fuel-cell facility that would provide fuel for what could become a large fleet of military vehicles that use fuels other than regular gasoline and diesel.
Camp Pendleton soon will have the first fuel-cell facility to provide hydrogen for cleaner-burning fuel-cell vehicles.
In December, Pendleton officials expect to break ground on a fuel-cell fueling station along Interstate 5 that would be one in what California officials have touted as a “fuel-cell highway” running from Mexico to Canada. It also would support what could become a larger fleet of fuel-cell vehicles at Pendleton and the region.
An 80-acre site near the main gate would be outfitted with a fueling station, and workers will refurbish an existing train maintenance yard with a fuel production and storage facility.
The region is spending $170,000 to modify the existing buildings and install hydrogen sensors and ventilation, Funk said.
The fuel-cell truck originally was part of a joint GM-Army project announced earlier this year that would have included testing at Fort Belvoir, Va. The Marine Corps is coordinating with the Army on the demonstration project.
Ellie