Fuel cell vehicles: Toyota versus GM

The AutoWeek article, GM's r&d guru says 'cooperation would make sense' in drive to create hydrogen-powered vehicles really bothered me when I read it this weekend. In fact, it made me research Crain Communications to see if they were somehow corporately connected to GM.

O.K., I couldn't find any connection. Nonetheless, AutoWeek is just one piece of Crain Communications and it is obvious that Crain Communications is about one thing - advertising. While there isn't a corporate connection between Crain and GM, there is certainly a huge relationship - advertising budgets.

But all automakers spend advertising dollars, why would Crain care the most about GM, you ask? Well, in the past several years, GM has spent about twice as much as any other automaker per year, and we're talking billions.

So, what was it that bothered me so much about the GM article?

I love the idea of fuel cells and I've read hundreds of articles about fuel cells and fuel cell vehicles. Ultimately, however, there are many issues regarding the functionality of fuel cells, especially in the near term - which is decades long. Just because GM has been promising fuel cells since the Nixon administration doesn't mean their fuel cell technology is the best.

Perhaps, as the article suggests, there should be cooperation between automakers regarding fuel cell vehicles, but any implication that GM is the fuel cell leader is a huge stretch at this point in time.

I'd say that GM, in fact, isn't the leader.

Toyota's approach to fuel cells is a good bit different than GM because Toyota fuel cell vehicles are hybrid vehicles. The fact that Toyota's gasoline electric hybrids can adapt into diesel electric hybrids, hydrogen electric hybrids, and -finally - fuel cell electric hybrids, offers something that GM doesn't offer - flexibility.

A recent press release from a Technical Insights Group at Frost & Sullivan notes, "Stricter emission standards are forcing companies to manufacture environment-friendly automobiles, with the resultant explosion in interest in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles. Automotive safety is another major concern, as advances in electronics and sensor technologies seek to make driving safer."

"Though Japanese companies such as Toyota and Honda have taken the lead in hybrid vehicle development, the growing concern over automotive pollution has led to a flurry of interest in this arena. Development is underway at all major automotive R&D houses to produce more fuel-efficient cars -- hybrid, fuel cell, or a cross between the two," notes Rajesh Kannan.

I repeat, "or a cross between the two".

Many autowriters have called hybrids just a step towards fuel cells, others have called them a bridge to fuel cell vehicles. Ultimately, however, today's hybrids can evolve into fuel cell hybrids. Today's gasoline electric Prius could be tomorrow's fuel cell electric Prius. Thus, some essential fuel cell developments are already taking place today in these hybrids and the future is that much closer.

Hybrids just might prove that billions of dollars for hydrogen fueling stations are not even needed. There could be a better way than GM's fuel cell vehicle path, perhaps even an easier, less expensive path.

AutoWeek writers work for Crain Communications and far too often AutoWeek has shown an unobjective bias against hybrids and for GM. The focus of Crain Communications doesn't appear to be an objective view of the automotive future, but rather a subjective grab for today's advertising dollars.