Honda and GM partner on a mission to make affordable hydrogen cells

Honda have partnered with automotive giant General Motors (GM) to start production of hydrogen fuel cell systems at their joint venture production facility, Fuel Cell System Manufacturing LLC (FCSM).

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The 70,000-square-foot Michigan facility was constructed in 2017 utilising a joint £72.3m investment and now has capacity to begin providing products for both manufacturers. The partnership represents the first joint effort between companies to achieve high-volume H2 vehicle production. 

FCSM President Suheb Haq commented: “Ongoing investment and commitment by both companies is driving our success at FCSM. “This commitment aligns with our mission of making high quality, durable and affordable hydrogen fuel cell systems for a wide range of applications and customers.” 

No direct mention of how the project may immediately apply to the firm’s motorcycle manufacturing has been made. However, Honda Motor Europe debuted a prototype of their next-generation hydrogen fuel cell system in November 2023 during the  European Hydrogen Week event in Brussels. 

The brand have pledged total carbon neutrality on all Honda products by 2050, including their entire motorcycle lineup, so the technology will likely be considered for future two-wheelers. 

Honda and GM have been working on hydrogen cell applications collaboratively since 2013 and are now focusing on ways to make the technology cheaper – including cutting the use of precious metals. It’s said the new fuel cell systems will be two-thirds less expensive to make than their previous 2019 Clarity Fuel Cell saloon car model. 

Commenting on the developments, Tetsuo Suzuki, Vice President of FCSM said: “We brought a mass production mindset with attention to detail and a focus on quality, and now we are ready to meet the needs of the customers for the future applications of fuel cell technology and the beginning of the hydrogen era.”