Birmingham’s Autocar Truck Plant will begin producing zero-tailpipe-emission trucks in partnership with General Motors beginning in 2026.
The jointly developed trucks will use GM’s Hydrotec power cubes. Initially, the built-to-order vehicles will be cement mixers, roll-off and dump trucks. Eventually, the offerings will include refuse trucks and terminal tractors.
“Autocar provides customized vocational trucking solutions, and as regulations change, we see Hydrotec fuel cells as an additional avenue for our customers to meet their EPA requirements with zero tailpipe emissions vehicles,” said Eric Schwartz, president of Autocar. “GM’s scale, reliability and the capability of their Hydrotec fuel cell technology will enhance Autocar’s existing platforms.”
The GM Hydrotec fuel cells are lightweight and can meet the demands of heavy-duty applications, the companies say.
“EV propulsion systems like GM’s Ultium Platform are great solutions for electrifying passenger vehicles, but larger vehicles like Autocar’s class 8 trucks, refuse trucks and terminal tractors require robust solutions that enable significant energy carrying capacity and fast refueling times,” said Charlie Freese, GM executive director, Global Hydrotec. “We want to enable zero-tailpipe-emissions solutions for the largest, highest energy consuming vehicles, and fuel cells are ideal for the most energy intensive applications.”
The Hydrotec fuel cell power cubes will be produced by GM in Michigan.
