Fuel Cells...more sustainable cars coming

One giant leap towards more sustainable cars.Yesterday, General Motors and Honda announced an $85 million joint venture to manufacturing fuel cells for cars starting in 2020.  The two automakers started collaborating on fuel cell development in 2013, but the new JV will up the ante by turning their combined research into a bigger reality. Compared to batteries, fuel cells offer longer range and are quick to refuel, so more fuel cells means more options for zero-emissions cars coming our way. The pair on Monday said they will invest $85 million to add a production line at a GM battery plant in Brownstown, Mich., and create 100 jobs.

Honda on Monday said fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) remained central to new-energy cars making up two-thirds of its line-up by 2030 from around 5 percent now, driven by U.S. sales. "The United States is where demand for fuel cell vehicles is going to be among the highest so we've decided to consolidate our manufacturing operations into one location there," Honda spokesman Teruhiko Tatebe said at a joint news briefing in Tokyo. "Both GM and Honda have our respective missions to develop clean energy sources, and we plan to continue these regardless of the political situation."