The Chevrolet Military Trucks are Growing

Through a partnership with the US Army, we’re seeing a bit more of Chevrolet Military Trucks popping up to help serve.
Not long ago we talked about the development of a Chevy Colorado ZH2 truck that’s been developed in a collaborative effort between GM and the U. S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center. This effort took place in 2016 and the truck that was the product features a heavy-duty strength of design and a range of more than 400 miles. This 400-mile range offered by this truck is provided by the next-generation hydrogen fuel cell and advanced battery systems to offer the drive and distance needed for this powerful model.

What’s New in the Development

We expect there to always be something new and impressive coming from a collaboration such as this one. It seems the next model to come from the group will be a Chevrolet Silverado version of the ZH2 to be a bigger, heavier, ultra-rugged, version of the Silverado that can make use of the hydrogen fuel cell system. This new addition will give the U. S. Army a pair of models that can make it possible for the right trucks to be used where they need these powerful, rugged, and tough trucks that can offer the qualities we expect from military vehicles.

The Power and Capabilities of the Silverado ZH2

This new version of the Silverado ZH2 is being powered by the GM Defense’s Hydrotec fuel cells and Jouletec battery system. The fuel cells double as a mobile power source that can provide between 50 and 100 kilowatts and a mobile water source. Because the only waste product of this truck is water vapor, it’s capable of generating two gallons of water per hour to be used. This truck is also able to be recharged in only three minutes to make it possible for the truck to be reused quickly.

Hydrogen is the Future

The GM Defense Division has a number of military contracts to create new vehicles and offer programs that can make hydrogen the future of the military models. Recently, the partnership was able to develop a skateboard-like SURUS hydrogen fuel-cell platform that’s capable of off-road autonomous driving while acting as a mobile power source. It’s not yet been communicated whether or not we will see this model make it to production, but it acts as a fantastic foundation for the next set of military vehicles that could be developed and put to use on a regular basis.
GM isn’t only partnering with the military to develop hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, they also have a partnership with Honda. The two have plans to jointly build more economical fuel cell models that will be used for the future. These new fuel cells will be developed at the GM Brownstown battery facility near Detroit starting in 2020. The plan is to add more hydrogen and electric models to the market over the course of the next few years with GM already making a commitment to have twenty new models offered around the world by 2023, giving us more models that are going green, and with the military influence, also going mean.