General Motors Quietly Ends Its Hydrogen For Transportation Experiment - CleanTechnica

General Motors (GM) has officially ended its development of the next-generation Hydrotec hydrogen fuel cells for transportation, concluding a decades-long experiment with hydrogen propulsion. Despite early efforts dating back to the 1966 Electrovan and multiple revivals tied to policy shifts and oil prices, GM acknowledged that hydrogen fuel cells are not a viable solution for road vehicles due to persistent technical, economic, and infrastructure challenges. The company highlighted the inefficiency of hydrogen energy conversion—where less than a third of the original electricity is retained after electrolysis, compression, transport, and reconversion—compared to battery electric systems that deliver about 75% of grid energy to wheels. GM’s Hydrotec initiative, which included partnerships with Honda, Wabtec, and Nikola Motors, ultimately faltered as these collaborations dissolved or failed, with Nikola’s bankruptcy notably ending a key hydrogen trucking project. The company cited high costs, sparse hydrogen refueling infrastructure (around 60 stations in the U.S.), and weak consumer