Honda, GM kicks off operation at Michigan battery plant

MANILA: Honda and General Motors (GM) have started the operations of its battery plant in Michigan.

Per the Japanese automotive brand, the two companies have a 50-50 stake in the facility, dubbed Fuel Cell System Manufacturing LLC (FCSM).

“This is a historic day for the industry as GM and Honda are the first full fuel cell system manufacturing joint venture to begin volume production of fuel cells for transportation and beyond,” said FCSM President Suheb Haq.

“We begin the process with raw materials for membrane and electrode all the way through completed systems. Ongoing investment and commitment by both companies is driving our success at FCSM. This commitment aligns with our mission of making high quality, durable, and affordable hydrogen fuel cell systems for a wide range of applications and customers,” he added.

Both Honda and GM ensure that production at FCSM is at the highest level. The venture incorporates many first-of-their-kind methods for automating membrane-electrode-assembly production and fuel cell stack assembly.

Engineering teams from the two brands share relevant intellectual property and expertise to create affordable, commercially viable hydrogen fuel cell systems to be utilized in a variety of zero-emissions propulsion and energy management applications.

Per Honda, the two auto firms share the belief that hydrogen and fuel cell technology will play an increasingly important role in meeting a wide variety of zero-emissions energy and mobility needs.

“We integrated the strengths of Honda and GM to create the most capable production system at this joint venture,” explained FCSM Vice President Tetsuo Suzuki.

“We brought a mass production mindset with attention to detail and a focus on high quality, and now we are ready to meet the needs of the customers for the future applications of fuel cell technology and the beginning of the hydrogen era,” he noted.

It was not disclosed which type of batteries not what models will FCSM supply. In the Philippines, Honda has slowly offered electrified models such as the CR-V e:HEV.

Photos from Honda and Juan Paulo Papa

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