GM will provide 13 fuel cell-powered vehicles to the New York City metro area and its partner in the project, Shell Hydrogen, will establish New York State’s first hydrogen service station in the New York City metropolitan area in 2006. 

The duo is the only team bringing fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen refueling to the NYC area under the U.S. Department of Energy's Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project.

GM’s New York fuel cell fleet will use and thus test the same next-generation fuel cell power module shown in the Sequel concept vehicle, unveiled a few weeks ago. (Earlier post.)

The new fuel cell power module consists of the fuel cell stack, the hydrogen and air processing subsystems, the cooling system and the high-voltage distribution system. This power module delivers 73 kW of high-voltage power for the electric traction motors, as well as auxiliaries.

The New York fleet is part of a total of 40 vehicles that GM is building under the DOE program. GM will also introduce fleets in California and the Detroit metro area and expand the current Washington D.C. fleet, which today includes six HydroGen3 vehicles.

Shell’s H₂ refueling station is likely to consist of a portable hydrogen-refueling module installed at an existing Shell station. In addition to the New York station, under this program Shell will provide two hydrogen refueling stations in California, and a fourth station will be located somewhere between New York and Washington D.C.