General Motors Corp. plans to begin high-volume production of hundreds of thousands of fuel-cell vehicles annually before the end of the decade, according to Larry Burns, vice president of research, development, and planning for GM. The company still hasn’t decided how fuel will be delivered to the vehicles, or which other new propulsion systems it will sell in the meantime.
GM hopes to accelerate its research with an announcement by the end of the year about what types of fuel-cell technologies seem most promising, and which should be abandoned. The company hopes to be joined by Toyota Motor Corp., its primary research partner, and other automakers. That announcement has been delayed by ongoing talks between Toyota and the Japanese government about Japan’s industrial and environmental policies, Burns said.
GM’s announcement on the direction of fuel-cell research could shape industry-wide standards that hundreds of automotive suppliers will use to design compatible parts. The company hopes its huge size will shape the standards to its advantage, giving GM an edge over competitors, including a research consortium dominated by Ford. Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG.