The US Military has partnered with automakers in many different ways over the past century. The original Jeep Wrangler was the General Purpose Vehicle that was built for World War II to be a personnel carrier that could handle the rigors of the European terrain, even when it was blown to bits. The military has relied on automakers to help them develop vehicles for several different purposes and now they are partnering with GM to develop a truck that can be sent into the battlefield and be powered by an alternative fuel source to be somewhat of a stealth truck.
This new truck is one that uses hydrogen fuel and is called the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 fuel-cell electric vehicle. In development with a partnership between GM and the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) we see a truck that can be built to a massive size and quietly move through the terrain to carry supplies or personnel where they need to go while using a movable and easy to carry fuel source to give this truck the range needed to reach troops in far locations on the battlefield to give them a chance to be resupplied or brought back to garrison.
This truck isn’t your typical Colorado built as it’s over 6.5-feet tall and more than seven-feet wide and rides on huge 37-inch tires. The ZH2 features a massively reinforced suspension and build to make it one of the toughest looking and performing machines to ever be built by a public company for the military. The modified ride allows this truck to climb over nearly every obstacle and handle whatever terrain is put in front of it. this vehicle is meant to be able to withstand the extreme conditions that will be found on the field of battle in all areas of the world.
The ZH2 features an Exportable Power Take-Off Unit (EPTO) which allows the fuel cell to power items that are not directly part of the vehicle. This could be extremely useful for troops to repower their devices, especially since more and more our military is becoming digitally equipped, even on the front lines of any battlefield. Using the quiet operation of the vehicle and the exportable power to go along with the torque that makes this vehicle push through the terrain, this could be the future mobility answer for the military to use and take into operations in the future.
Does this mean GM is developing a hydrogen powered Colorado for the public? Right now that’s not likely since the only places that offer hydrogen refueling exist on the west coast, but this development could result in a greater infrastructure being built, especially if publicly sold Colorado trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells could come equipped with the EPTO to ensure power is able to be used in an area away from the truck. This partnership is one that certainly has benefits for both the military and the automotive industry, especially for GM.
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