GM calls the Chevrolet Colorado ZH-2 the "most extreme off-road-capable fuel-cell-powered electric vehicle ever" from the Detroit automaker.
DETROIT - It's not just that the fuel-cell-powered Chevrolet Colorado ZH-2 is a silent, off-road beast that makes the U.S. Army keen on testing it.
Indeed, its powertrain will make it pretty stealth compared to petroleum-powered counterparts.
But the Chevy Colorado ZH-2, revealed this week at the fall meeting of the Association of the United States Army in Washington, D.C., also has a technology that could aid troops when electricity is needed in remote places.
The truck has an "Exportable Power Take-Off unit" that allows fuel-cell power to be taken away from the vehicle, so electric power can be used where it's otherwise unavailable.
The truck's development is part of an agreement signed last year by General Motors and the Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, or TARDEC.
The Colorado ZH-2 is built on a stretched-out version of the midsize Colorado pickup's regular chassis. It stands more than six and a half feet tall, and more than seven feet wide. It rides on 37-inch tires and a specifically modified suspension geared toward a variety of rugged terrain.
GM calls the Chevrolet Colorado ZH-2 the "most extreme off-road-capable fuel-cell-powered electric vehicle ever" from the Detroit automaker.
It's currently being tested at GM's Milford Proving Ground, before being turned over to the Army early next year for a year of testing.
It was developed by GM and TARDEC laboratories about 20 miles apart in southeast Michigan, and was mostly assembled at GM's Advanced Vehicle Integration facility in Warren.
The U.S. Army plans to test the truck to see how viable hydrogen-powered vehicles will be on military missions.
In general, GM said the Army will test the Colorado ZH-2 for
- Near-silent operation enabling silent watch capability
- Reduced acoustic and thermal signatures
- High wheel torque at all speeds via electric drive
- Low fuel consumption across operating range
- Water by-product for field uses
"The Colorado ZH2 is a terrific example of GM's engineering and design skill in creating an off-road vehicle relevant to a range of potential users," Charlie Freese, executive director of GM Global Fuel Cell Activities, said in a release. "Over the next year, we expect to learn from the Army the limits of what a fuel cell propulsion system can do when really put to the test."