GM, Autocar to build fuel-cell commercial vehicles

General Motors announced this week that it entered a joint development agreement with Alabama-based Autocar Industries to build a range of all-electric commercial trucks powered by electricity generated from GM's Hydrotec hydrogen fuel-cell systems GM calls “power cubes.” In a video call with journalists, the companies said production of electric trucks at the Autocar Truck Plant in Birmingham, Alabama, will begin in 2026.

“EV propulsion systems like GM's Ultium Platform are great solutions for electrifying passenger vehicles, but larger vehicles like Autocar's Class 8 trucks, garbage trucks and terminal tractors require robust solutions that enable significant energy carrying capacity and fast refueling times,” said Charlie Freese, GM executive director, Global Hydrotec, in a press release. “We want to enable zero-tailpipe-emissions solutions for the largest, highest energy-consuming vehicles, and fuel cells are ideal for the most energy intensive applications,” Freese added.