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GM and Honda Partner on Hydrogen Fuel Cell System

Two of the largest carmakers on the planet and seriously jumping into the hydrogen fuel cell game, with their eyes on the future of transportation in the world. Recently, General Motors and Honda announced a dual venture to mass produce an sophisticated hydrogen fuel cell system.

At Fairway Chevrolet Collision Center , we know that gasoline will no longer be the most popular fuel for vehicles in Las Vegas, NV and worldwide, so we're always pleased to share news like this.

The company that the two OEMs are creating is called Fuel Cell System Manufacturing, a company will produce fuel cell products that will be used in future vehicles for both GM and Honda. It will currently operate within GM’s existing battery pack factory located in Michigan.

The mass production of fuel cell systems is expected to begin in 2020 and create approximately 100 new jobs. Both companies are making equal investments with the grand total at $85 million in this joint venture.

Honda and GM have been working in conjunction through a master collaboration agreement that was established back in 2013. It set up the co-development agreement for a next-generation fuel cell system and hydrogen storage technologies. GM and Honda integrated their development teams and swapped hydrogen fuel cell intellectual property to establish a more reasonably priced marketable solution for fuel cell and hydrogen storage systems.

Toshiaki Mikoshiba, chief operating officer of the North American region for Honda and president and CEO of American Honda and Honda North America explained that since 2013, engineers from Honda and GM have been working closely with one team and one mission to provide skills and know-how from its unique expertise to manufacture a compact and affordable next-generation fuel cell system. By creating an outstanding team that will take both companies to the next stage of mass production, will help each company to create new value for their customers in fuel cell vehicles of the future.

GM and Honda currently have more than 2,220 fuel cell technology patents between them, ranking first and third respectively in total fuel cell patents filed from 2002 through 2015.

The combination of two leaders in fuel cell innovation is an intriguing development in bringing fuel cells closer to the mainstream of propulsion applications. The gradual deployment of this technology in passenger cars will produce more differentiated and environmentally- friendly transportation options for car owners worldwide. 

Sources: MSN, CNN and BCC News