With all the Toyota Mirais, Honda Claritys, and Hyundai Tucson FCEVs probing the market for longer-range zero-emissions production cars in California these days, you might be surprised to learn that GM is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered 1966 GM Electrovan, which represented the first known application of a fuel cell to motivate a motor vehicle. Since then GM has accumulated 3.1 million real-world miles of testing hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. To illustrate how far the company has progressed, Chevy is showing off a fuel-cell-powered military truck optimized for creeping quietly into hostile territory and setting up forward operating bases that require electric power and water.
Just for good measure, they made the Colorado ZH2 look SEMA cool, perched up on 37-inch tires on 17-inch beadlock wheels that afford 12 inches of ground clearance and aggressive 48-degree approach and 39-degree departure angles. The uniquely restyled front clip and rear box are mostly comprised of Kevlar-reinforced carbon fiber. The cab had to be relocated rearward 4.9 inches to accommodate those front tires. Open the clam-shell cover in back and you reveal the fuel cell unit that can export 25 kilowatts of continuous power, 50 kW of peak output. Naturally, it also produces water. The crew-cab body is stock, but it’s stuffed full of four Recaro seats with a harness-belt bar behind the front seats.
Under the hood lies a transversely mounted 94-kW fuel cell powering a 177-hp, 236-lb-ft electric motor that sends power through a transfer case to front and rear axles with electric-locking differentials. This setup is good for a top speed just over 60 mph with a range of 140 miles on 4.2 kilograms (9.3 pounds) of hydrogen that is stored in three cylindrical tanks in the front of the bed area. (During this time it also produces roughly 2 gallons of water per hour.) Refilling the tanks from a high-pressure source takes just 3-5 minutes. Need hydrogen in the field? The vehicle can electrolyze water (though obviously the truck needs another electricity source for the electrolyzer—Chevy has yet to invent perpetual motion). Chevrolet has copyright-protected the name “Hydrotec” (and designed a logo for it!) to cover hydrogen powertrain developments like Ecotec gets applied to efficient gas powertrains, which could be used on vehicles, or on products like the auxiliary power unit currently being pitched to airplane manufacturers or the fuel-cell-powered underwater drone currently in military use.
Other benefits of this drivetrain include its ultra-low heat signature (the cooling stack is relocated to the rear of the vehicle) when compared with an internal combustion engine, and its very low noise production (though whether it’s low enough to qualify for “silent watch” duty has yet to be determined). Next year the Colorado ZH2 will head out on a test-drive tour of all the major branches of our military, and then it will go to the army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) for further testing.
The vehicle was built on a slightly stretched stock Colorado frame in just 10 months, with final assembly assistance from Chevy’s Corvette Racing team partners Pratt & Miller. Hey Chevrolet, if the ZH2’s rigorous testing schedule permits a detour for hack journo drives, consider our hands raised!
Below is a chart comparing a few of the ZH2’s specs with a 2016 Colorado Z71 Trail Boss Duramax diesel.
| 2016 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Duramax Diesel (Trail Boss) | Colorado ZH2 Concept | |
| POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS | ||
| DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT | Front-engine, 4WD | Front-engine, 4WD |
| ENGINE TYPE | Turbodiesel I-4, iron block/alum head | Electric |
| POWER (SAE NET) | 181 hp | 177 hp |
| TORQUE (SAE NET) | 369 lb-ft | 236 lb-ft |
| REDLINE | N/A rpm | |
| WEIGHT TO POWER | 27.2 lb/hp | 34.2 lb/hp |
| TRANSMISSION | 6-speed automatic | 1-speed automatic |
| AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO | 3.42:1/2.29:1 | 6.00:1/NA |
| WHEELS | 8.0 x 17-in, cast aluminum | 10.0 x 17-in, cast alum beadlock |
| TIRES | 265/65R17 112S M+S Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac | 37×12.5R17 LT 116L C BFGoodrich Krawler T/A KX |
| DIMENSIONS | ||
| WHEELBASE | 128.3 in | 133.5 in |
| TRACK, F/R | 62.4/62.4 in | 67.4/67.4 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 212.7 x 74.3 x 70.6 in | 210.5 x 80.3 x 79.8 in |
| TURNING CIRCLE | 41.3 ft | 50.0 ft |
| CURB WEIGHT | 4,922 lb | 6,050 lb |
| SEATING CAPACITY | 5 | 4 |
| PAYLOAD CAPACITY | 1,278 lb | 1,300 lb |
| GVWR | 6,200 lb | 7,350 lb |
| FUEL CAPACITY | 21.0 gal | 9.3 lb H2 (4.2 gasoline gallons equivalent) |
| RECOMMENDED FUEL | Diesel | Hydrogen |
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