What a ‘real world’ hydrogen pickup looks like and why it should end the conversation
This hydrogen-powered GM commercial truck offers 300 miles of range and “generates enough electricity to power 250 typical American homes” (for a few minutes?). Just not at the same time.
GM is calling this latest fuel cell-powered truck concept the foundation of “a hydrogen-based worksite ecosystem,” and imagines a world where Chevrolet Silverado 5500 MD trucks like this one are fitted with HYDROTEC fuel cell systems capable of generating 300 kW of peak power. The trucks would then serve as generators for on-site tools, portable offices, and more.
Jacob Lozier, HYDROTEC’s program manager, told reporters last week that these trucks could, “power job sites or bring charging to EVs in areas where traditional charging is not available,” before adding that, “it has enough power and energy to provide power for up to 250 American homes.”
GM and its partners were able to get nearly 300 miles of range from the big MD Chevy (compared to 450 from the Silverado EV), which has a … let’s go with “unique” look. One that, according to a HYDROTEC spokesperson, was inspired by shipping containers.
“Our team was inspired by the efficiencies of shipping containers and how that could contribute further to the efficiencies of this breakthrough truck,” reports James Carter. “It was the perfect solution.”
“To achieve a 300 mile range, we had to investigate new packaging initiatives for the tanks to hold 40kg of hydrogen,” is another quote attributed to the GM/HYDROTEC team. “[Fortunately], we were able to achieve this and still leave a 3ft bed for customers.”
The vehicles were built with funding awarded from the Department of Energy’s SuperTruck 3 program and the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office as part of a pilot program to demonstrate the real-world capabilities of fuel cells for fleet and commercial customers.
Southern Company, one of the largest southern utility companies, will receive the HYDROTEC fuel cell-powered Chevy MD trucks and use them as shop vehicles at its worksites. Southern Company, together with GM and Nel ASA, will use also test out a hydrogen microgrid for fueling infrastructure that includes a stationary fuel cell-based mobile power generator.
Electrek’s Jo’s Take
Look, I am the first person to say that battery-electric power is not the answer for everything. I’m a “right tool for the right job” kind of person. I understand that certain jobs in certain fields require kilowatt hours of energy every hour. Batteries made with today’s technology would have to be so huge to provide that power that the vehicle they’re attached to would sink into asphalt, let alone dirt and mud. Hydrogen, when blended with diesel to cut carbon and NOx emissions and in a few other extremely limited combustion scenarios, has a (temporary) role.
“It’s just awful,” I wrote to Electrek chief Seth Weintraub. “I can’t believe it’s not an April Fools’ joke.”
“Dear lord,” he wrote back. “I guess the mobile power generators is something needed but only 300 miles is laughable … if it can go 300 miles and it’s a generator that puts out 1MWh,” he said, re-reading the release, “then, OK. This makes sense.”
I looked at it again and shook my head. “For what it’s worth, I’m almost certain that’s in total. Look at all the hydrogen it takes to get a Nikola to go 400-ish miles.”
Nikola hydrogen semi truck
Still, I didn’t want to call GM’s multimillion dollar hydrogen truck program a laughable monstrosity without some due diligence, so I reached out to GM’s press contact. I sent over the following email in a quest for clarity:
Reading this article, it’s not clear if the truck has 300 miles of range AND “can power 250 homes for a day” or has 300 miles of range OR “can power 250 homes for a day.” Can you help clarify if the range is tied to the output? Meaning: can it drive out 150 (ish) miles, provide that power, then drive 150 (ish) miles back?
My email to gm
Their response was professionally short.
The 250 homes portion is to put it into perspective the amount of power the truck has. Driving the trucks would reduce the available fuel storage for powering homes, etc.
GM press contact
So, what is it exactly that GM and HYDROTEC have shown us here? Because, from where I sit, what we have here is an enormous MD pickup with significantly reduced range when compared to its diesel counterparts, that’s limited to a nearly useless 3 ft. of bed space (which, one imagines, would drop to zero on even a Silverado 3500 dually) that can power a job site for about the same amount for time as a hybrid F-150 (as long as it’s not too far away from a hydrogen filling station) and for significantly less time than a conventional EV or solar-powered gen set. And it does all those things worse than existing technologies at a significantly higher cost than any, with a dubious environmental advantage to diesel and none to battery and solar.
When MAN Truck’s CEO Alexander Vlaskamp told reporters that it was “impossible for hydrogen to effectively compete with battery electric trucks,” I believed him. I just didn’t expect GM to prove his point.
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In his latest crackdown on e-bike riders, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is pushing for a new citywide e-bike speed limit of 15 mph (25 km/h), despite the fact that no one seems to know how it would actually be enforced.
The proposal, introduced last month as part of a broader package aimed at improving safety on city streets, would make it illegal to ride an e-bike over 15 mph. But experts, advocates, and even city officials are scratching their heads about how the rule would work in practice.
Most consumer e-bikes are already sold with speed limits in place: 20 mph (32 km/h) for throttle assist and 28 mph (45 km/) for pedal assist, per classifications used in the majority of states in the US. Yet those limits are controlled by the bike’s electronics, not by any city infrastructure.
According to reporting by Hell Gate NYC, even the Mayor’s own office couldn’t explain what the enforcement mechanism would look like, and no single agency has so far been put in charge of enforcing the speed limit. Will the city mandate software modifications such as those that limit Class 3 e-bikes to 25 mph (40 km/h) in NYC? Would they rely on radar guns like traditional speeding enforcement for cars? Install speed cameras that can identify bikes? So far, there are no answers.
Citi Bike has already reduced its electric bicycle fleet’s speed limits to 15 mph, but that only impacts shared e-bikes used in the city. Complicating matters further is the fact that most delivery riders – who are clearly the unspoken target of this policy – don’t use mainstream e-bikes from the major manufacturers, or even those that can accept firmware updates to adjust speed and power. Many of them ride inexpensive, sometimes heavily modified throttle bikes purchased online or from bike shops like FLY that cater to these types of riders. Such e-bikes often lack more sophisticated software speed-limiting features, and few, if any, have any form of digital connectivity that could allow for remote speed capping.
City transportation experts note that enforcement of speed limits on e-bikes is nearly impossible without clocking and stopping each rider. Unlike cars, bikes don’t have license plates. And even if a bike is capable of going faster than 15 mph, it doesn’t mean the rider is actually breaking the law – unless caught in the act. Nearly every car in NYC can likely push close to or past 100 mph (160 km/h), despite the city wide’s vehicular speed limit of just 25 mph. Advocates have also questioned the wisdom of focusing on e-bike speed while car crashes continue to injure and kill far more people.
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Environment
Range Rover’s electric SUV won’t launch this year after a surprise delay, but there’s more
Range Rover’s first EV was initially scheduled to arrive later this year, but that won’t be the case. JLR has delayed the launch of the Range Rover Electric after telling customers they will have to wait a little longer. However, that may not be the only EV JLR is delaying.
Range Rover Electric and Jaguar EVs are being delayed
Although the electric SUV was originally due to hit showrooms in late 2025, it’s now being pushed back until next year.
The British automaker claimed it needed more time for testing while it waited for stronger demand. However, there’s more to the story. According to The Guardian, Jaguar Land Rover wrote to clients waiting for the Range Rover Electric, telling them deliveries will not start until 2026.
Sources close to the matter said the delay could also impact two Jaguar EV models, including the radical blue-and-pink Type 00 Concept. Jaguar’s electric vehicles are expected to be delayed by several months.
The news comes after JLR announced plans to cut up to 500 management positions in the UK this week. Britain’s largest carmaker was hit hard by the Trump Administration’s new auto tariffs.
JLR’s sales plunged over 15% in the previous quarter after the company was forced to temporarily halt shipments to the US.
A company spokesperson confirmed that “By 2030 JLR will sell electric versions of all its luxury brands,” adding “we will launch our new models at the right time for our clients, our business and individual markets.”
Range Rover’s first electric SUV has secured over 61,000 customers on the waiting list. JLR claims it’s currently undergoing “the most intensive testing any Range Rover vehicle has ever endured.”
An electric version of the Velar is due for a radical new look. It’s scheduled for production in April 2026, but that could also be delayed. An electric Defender is due out in early 2027.
Meanwhile, production on Jaguar’s new EV, its first since the I-PACE, is set to begin in August 2026. Jaguar’s electric GT is expected to cost over £100,000 ($135,000) as part of its brand revamp. Its second EV may not launch until December 2027 now.
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes new e-bikes from Aventon and Lectric, a surge in Amish riding e-bikes, a wireless charging kickstand, cheaper electric motorcycles coming from Honda and LiveWire and more.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:00 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:00 a.m. ET):
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