There are many roads on the journey to a sustainable transportation future.
Hybrid vehicles, EVs, biofuels – all of these vehicles factor into the equation. But many consider fuel cell vehicles the road less traveled.
Not the drivers of the Fuel Cell Equinox, however.
The specially equipped 2007 Chevrolet Equinox was part of our 119-vehicle Project Driveway program, launched in 2007. The fleet has accumulated more than 3 million miles, more than any other automaker. By using renewable hydrogen, these vehicles use no gas and their only emissions are water vapor.
The test fleet wasn't just driven by engineers in a controlled laboratory on our proving grounds. Real consumers logged the miles in real-world driving conditions. More than 5,000 drivers have provided feedback on their experience driving the Fuel Cell Equinox.
Like other alternative energy solutions, though, the fueling infrastructure must grow before fuel cell vehicles can go mainstream.
But in the meantime, we're collaborating to refine this technology. Last July, we announced an agreement to co-develop a next-generation fuel cell system and hydrogen storage technologies with Honda. We also expanded our partnership with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development & Engineering Center to co-develop hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Hydrogen fuel cells are an important component to our advanced propulsion portfolio. The proof is in the patents: the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index , a third-party monitor of intellectual property involving clean technologies, recently ranked us No. 1 in fuel cell patents filed in the last 11 years. Moreover, according to the latest index we now lead all companies in total U.S. clean energy patents, which includes patents for solar, wind, hybrid/electric vehicles, fuel cells, hydroelectric, tidal/wave, geothermal, biomass/biofuels and clean, renewable energy.
By investing in these technologies, we can ensure that innovation in the lab leads to transformation on the road.
