The automaker says it will supply fuel cell power systems to Renewable Innovations of Lindon, Utah, which will build the generators and rapid charging stations.
He said it’s too early to talk about prices, but said production of the systems should start in the next year.
GM is not alone in entering the hydrogen generator market.
Police departments and municipal governments, he said, will need backup power to charge emergency vehicles in case of a power outage.
Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, is increasingly viewed, along with electric vehicles, as a way to slow the environmentally destructive impact of the planet’s 1.2 billion vehicles, most of which burn gasoline and diesel fuel.
A new study by researchers from Cornell and Stanford universities found that most hydrogen production emits carbon dioxide, which means that hydrogen-fueled transportation cannot yet be considered clean energy.
They envision a growing use of electricity from wind and solar energy, which can separate hydrogen and oxygen in water.
The EV charging stations would be able to charge up to four vehicles at once, and they could be installed quickly without changes to the electrical grid, Freese said.