GM and Honda announced that their 50-50 joint venture (JV) has started production at its new Fuel Cell System Manufacturing (FCSM) facility in Brownstown, Michigan.
The 70,000-square-foot facility – representing an $85 million investment – will be utilized by both companies to build fuel cells and other hydrogen power solutions for various product applications and business ventures.
“This is a historic day for the industry as 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 is driving our success at FCSM.”
The joint venture can trace its roots back to 2013 when Honda and GM engineers began to work on the co-development of the next-generation fuel cell system.
In addition to advancing fuel cell system performance, the two companies collaborated to more than double durability compared to the 2019 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell by utilizing corrosion-resistant materials and improving low-temperature operations.
The companies also focused on reducing development and manufacturing costs by leveraging economies of scale, advancing the cell design, simplifying supporting auxiliary equipment, utilizing common sourcing, and reducing the use of expensive precious metals.
Significant efforts have also been taken at FCSM to ensure the highest quality levels while improving manufacturing productivity. Both GM and Honda engineering teams and the companies’ relevant intellectual property and expertise have been integrated at FCSM to create affordable and commercially viable hydrogen fuel cell systems for a variety of zero-emissions propulsion and energy management applications.
