October 13, 2025 - GM Drops Fuel Cells

This is the Telemetry Transportation Daily for October 13, 2025, and I'm Sam Abuelsamid, Vice President of Market Research for Telemetry.  

Almost 60 years ago, General Motors built the first-ever vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel, the ElectroVan. That Corvair van utilized a fuel cell system that GM was developing for NASA for the Apollo program, which took astronauts to the moon. While that particular vehicle was only tested briefly before being committed to museum duty, GM has continued work on fuel cell technology ever since. Unfortunately, that effort is now over. GM has decided to cancel its next-generation fuel cell system and the Detroit area factory that was to manufacture it. 

As with the recent Stellantis announcement that it was abandoning the technology that produces electricity from hydrogen and oxygen, GM has come to the conclusion that the market for fuel cells is simply not there to justify the ongoing expense. Over the years, GM has built many fuel cell prototypes and concepts, including the Sequel that drove over 300 miles across New York state in March 2007. In 2008, GM built a fleet of 150 fuel-cell-powered Chevrolet Equinoxes and loaned them out to consumers for several months at a time over a period of more than three years to gain real-world experience. 

GM's most recent effort was a partnership with Honda to develop a production-ready fuel cell stack. While Honda has installed those fuel cells in a fleet of electric CR-Vs as a range extender, GM has experimented with multiple applications, including locomotives, aircraft auxiliary power units, and military vehicles. The lack of development of a robust hydrogen fueling infrastructure in North America has limited the adoption of fuel cell vehicles. Toyota and Hyundai remain committed to fuel cells, although primarily for heavy-duty trucks, and BMW plans to include a fuel cell variant in the next-generation X5 using Toyota technology. 

With the overall automotive market in a state of flux with shifting regulations and trade barriers, GM, like other automakers, finds itself needing to continue investments in internal combustion and hybrids in addition to battery electric vehicles. With no prospects of a robust commercial market for fuel cell vehicles in the foreseeable future, GM has made what is likely the best decision for its near-term business prospects. 

Thanks for listening.