Fuel cells key to decarbonization

Industry

Thirty miles north of General Motors’ headquarters in Detroit, hundreds of engineers are developing a zero-emission alternative to battery-electric vehicles: hydrogen fuel cells.

They coat ink onto carbon paper and produce miles of seals that separate air, water and coolant. They build small-scale electrodes to test chemistries designed to create electricity from hydrogen with water as the only byproduct.

GM and other automakers have worked on hydrogen fuel cells for decades, but the technology has languished in the shadow of gasoline and battery-electric vehicle development.

Now, fuel cells are playing a key role in automakers’ strategies as the push to decarbonize becomes more urgent.

GM has a fuel cell lab in Pontiac, Mich., and an operation with Honda in Brownstown Township, Mich. The automaker builds cells that go into stacks to make up a fuel cell system. Each of the 300 cells in GM’s stack creates 300 watts of power, said Charlie Freese, executive director of GM’s hydrogen fuel cell business. The system is “almost magical,” Freese said.

Fuel cells are usually compared with engines in internal combustion vehicles. But “in a fuel cell stack, there are no moving parts,” Freese said. “They’re literally just sitting there with the air and the hydrogen flowing through the system.”

But automakers have found only a limited market for fuel cell passenger vehicles. Instead, they are finding uses for the technology in trucks, buses and backup power generation. And they are taking the technology to other industries, such as locomotive, marine and aerospace.

Alan Martin, a technical specialist for Hydrotec, GM’s fuel cell brand, said the automaker found its hydrogen sweet spot a couple of years ago in cross-industry partnerships. GM can stack power cubes like Lego bricks to meet each customer’s energy need, he said.

“Everything wants to go electric right now,” he said. “When you get to the trucks and trains, this is the technology that makes that possible.”

GM partnered with locomotive company Wabtec Corp., aviation company Liebherr- Aerospace and commercial truck manufacturer Navistar in 2021.

Working with GM allows Wabtec to accelerate the rail industry’s path to decarbonization, Wabtec CEO Rafael Santana said in a statement announcing the partnership.

The collaborations allow GM to easily adapt technology it has spent decades building, Freese said.

“We don’t intend to make locomotives, but we can make the propulsion system parts that go into locomotives and … do it with the same investments we’re making for other applications,” he said.

GM’s first fuel cell application was in the 1966 Electrovan concept. Beyond the Electrovan, breakthroughs of the costly technology took decades, Freese said. GM retrofitted more than 100 Chevrolet Equinox compact crossovers with a fuel cell system in 2007 before discontinuing the model in 2015.

The technology was expensive for an everyday driver, and hydrogen fueling infrastructure in the U.S. was — and still is — sparse. There are just 57 fueling stations nationally, according to the Department of Energy. GM shifted its fuel cell efforts to larger vehicles, such as commercial trucks.

GM and Honda began working on fuel cells together in 2013 and launched a joint venture called Fuel Cell System Manufacturing to mass-produce an advanced hydrogen fuel cell system in Brownstown Township in 2017. GM and Honda’s core fuel cell system is common, but each company uses the system differently. Some components are shared, and some are proprietary, Martin said.

Other automakers have taken a similar approach. Toyota and Hyundai have each developed fuel cell passenger vehicles. But they have sold poorly, and both automakers are using the technology for heavy-duty trucks.

Low build volume and inadequate refueling infrastructure hamper sales of fuel cell passenger vehicles, said Darragh Punch, senior research analyst for North America automotive powertrain and compliance at S&P Global Mobility.

“Infrastructure is woefully insufficient for large-scale rollout,” he said. “Suppliers are working hard on hydrogen fuel cell technology but acknowledge that viability will require massive investment from the U.S. government on a similar scale as has already occurred in the pure BEV space.”

Sales of Toyota’s Mirai fuel cell vehicle have suffered as consumers looking for green automotive models favored BEVs. Toyota sold only about 2,000 Mirai sedans in the U.S. last year, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center. During the same period, 756,534 BEVs were registered in the U.S., according to Experian.

Now Toyota is repurposing its technology for other markets such as buses, trains, marine applications, heavy-duty trucks and power generators.

Passenger vehicles will continue to play a role in Toyota’s hydrogen plans, but limited infrastructure makes them difficult to scale, said Jacquelyn Birdsall, senior engineering manager for Toyota’s fuel cell integration group.

Trucking needs less infrastructure, as many commercial vehicles that return to hubs throughout the day could use one massive hydrogen station, Birdsall said.

Light-duty vehicles need many more public filling stations. “That requires a lot more investment, a lot more strategy,” she said.

Hyundai Motor Co. sold about 400 Nexo fuel cell crossovers in the U.S. in 2022, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center. It is using the technology for the fuel cell Xcient tractor, which it will launch for the U.S. this year. The automaker also is exploring fuel cell applications in many areas in the water and air.

The industry is approaching a turning point for fuel cells, powered in part by global regulations favoring the technology and decarbonization overall, said Ken Ramirez, head of the global commercial vehicle business division for Hyundai.

“There are a lot of clues that the world is moving to hydrogen more quickly than we thought before,” he said. “We really do believe in hydrogen as a major contributor to decarbonization. And so we are playing in many areas.”

Honda had a fuel cell vehicle in the light-duty market, the Clarity, but discontinued it after the 2021 model year. The automaker plans to launch another fuel cell vehicle, based on the CR-V compact crossover, in low volumes next year. Light-duty fuel cell vehicles are the most mature application of Honda’s technology, the company said.

“We are serious about making them and making it a compelling product for consumers,” said Honda spokesperson Chris Martin. “It’s unique in the North American market, and it will have a plug-in capability as well.”

Honda also built a fuel cell boat prototype to show the technology’s capability in marine applications.

Selling fuel cells to other industries can help amortize the development expenses across multiple markets, lowering the expense for each industry, analysts said. The cross-industry uses will bring costs down faster and could accelerate commercialization for automotive applications.

Automakers are “diversifying sources of revenue and also probably building scale to reduce the cost position of procuring everything related to the fuel cell,” said Kevin Laczkowski, global co-leader of McKinsey & Co.’s Automotive & Assembly Practice.

Selling the technology is also a way to hedge uncertainty, added Brian Loh, a partner at the firm.

“It is uncertain how fast fuel cells get traction in light vehicle,” he said. “Having diversification is a way to hedge.”

The commercial vehicle industry will likely invest in fuel cell vehicles first, and then automakers will begin to capitalize on their investments, said Mark Barrott, automotive and mobility practice leader at Plante Moran.

“To a certain extent, we’re in an experimental phase,” he said. “Volume, cost and efficiency of the technology will help us determine where we end up.”

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  1. In Accordance to Pendlay, the train bearing his name is nothing greater
    than a strict barbell row, carried out with a rigid
    torso that stays more or less parallel to the bottom.
    This makes it extra of a lat-focused train than the traditional barbell row.
    As a basic rule, it’s a good idea to include some type of rowing movement whenever
    you prepare your again. Depending on the
    coaching program you’re using, that may sometimes be somewhere between 1 and 3 occasions per week.
    The single-arm cable row lets you get extra of a stretch in your lats,
    in addition to helping to iron out any imbalances which may exist between your left and
    right aspect.
    It’s critical to keep your again barely arched and naturally curved, similar to a regular bent-over
    row. Additionally, don’t start with too much weight, particularly if your biceps
    are not that developed. A widespread mistake isn’t adjusting the reps or weight for the increased bicep involvement.
    The bent-over row is a compound movement with a considerable amount of bicep,
    brachialis, and brachioradialis engagement.
    Throughout bent-over rows, spinal erectors play a crucial function in sustaining proper
    posture and offering stability to the spinal columns.

    Incorporating inverted rows into your exercise routine can help add variety
    and problem your again muscular tissues in new ways.
    As with any exercise, it’s necessary to hold up correct
    kind and technique to attenuate the chance of damage. If you’re new to inverted rows, start with a better bar or greater strap position to
    make the exercise easier. As you acquire energy and proficiency, you can progressively lower
    the bar or straps to extend the difficulty degree.

    Nonetheless you do them, resistance band lat pulldowns are excellent for home exercisers and, if you take your bands with you, are
    perfect for vacationers, too. After all, if you solely ever do lat pulldowns,
    your back muscles will quickly become accustomed to this train. Also, unless you have a VERY
    well-equipped house health club, you won’t even be in a position to do
    that train. Scapular wall slides, also referred to as wall angels, are a surprisingly tough real delt,
    rhomboid, and center trapezius exercise. As An Alternative of
    working your muscular tissues with weights, for this motion, you’ll be working in opposition to the stress generated by your
    pecs.
    Whereas both exercises work the again, barbell rows goal the lats, upper again, rear delts and biceps, while the
    deadlift hits the decrease back, glutes and hamstrings.
    Partaking in the seated cable row train is helpful for
    focusing on your back muscles, particularly your lats, whereas minimizing the danger
    of decrease again harm. If you favor to switch bent over rows with body
    weight workout routines, you’ll be able to perform inverted rows (also
    generally known as Australian rows) or TRX rows. These exercises
    have you work by pulling your body upward when you lean back, rather than lifting a weight from the bottom.

    These workouts will let you build again thickness with out having to spend tons of of
    dollars on expensive equipment. By together with
    movements like single-arm dumbbell rows, seated cable rows,
    and inverted rows, you’ll engage different muscle groups, promote balanced power,
    and reduce the danger of overuse accidents. Inverted bodyweight rows are an excellent various
    to bent-over barbell rows because they target the identical muscle groups
    with out straining the decrease back. You can do inverted bodyweight
    rows wherever you can find a steady horizontal bar.
    If you may have entry to a T-Bar Row machine, T-Bar
    Rows may actually be the closest different to the Barbell Row out of any of the Barbell Row alternate options listed
    above. You’ll end up in the same body position but most machines
    (but not all) will also present chest assist.

    Inverted Rows are top-of-the-line, and most overlooked, horizontal rows
    you can do in the weight room. They place zero stress on the low again and can be modified
    to be good for both novices and difficult for superior lifters.
    A frequent mistake is rotating your shoulder back
    on the lift, but doing that may cause shoulder ache and forestall you from getting essentially the most out of the train.
    For those who beloved the bent-over row from the underside of their hear and
    do not wish to replace it — an incline barbell row
    can be the closest alternative.
    Resistance bands are an usually overlooked piece of
    equipment in the gym, but they have lots of potential uses.
    Resistance bands are nice at mimicking weighted workouts with none cumbersome tools.
    You can take a resistance band with you anyplace
    to do your workout at house or while traveling. Performing rows with a band can provide you a great stimulus without
    fatiguing the nervous system so that you just can do them more regularly and with
    greater quantity. Inverted body weight rows are nice for strengthening
    the again for extra complicated exercises like pull-ups.
    You can use this exercise to target the again from completely different angles by varying
    your grip width or experimenting with a supinated (underhand grip).
    If you don’t have entry to a T-Bar Row machine with a chest pad, you
    may also perform this exercise by mendacity face down on a
    bench with a dumbbell in every hand and pulling them towards your torso.

    It permits for higher physique stability than the bent-over row and
    doesn’t require as much equipment. You’ll be performing
    a row with one dumbbell at a time – it’s an alternating
    row. A good tip is to put your empty hand in your front-facing
    leg for stability. If you need to improve the issue of the movement, stretch it out to your
    aspect.
    A seal row is a variation of the row train that is carried out along with your chest supported on a bench.

    The actual purpose I like this motion, nonetheless, is as a end
    result of the chest help offers you something to brace against to
    have the ability to produce extra drive and mechanical rigidity.

    This is something that isn’t attainable on the
    standard bent over barbell row as you should balance your torso in opposition to
    the burden being held out in front of you.
    If you do find yourself operating into issues with the barbell row,
    listed below are 10 options that can do the job just as well.
    For some people, the barbell row simply by no means feels fairly proper, and they’re by
    no means positive if they’re doing the exercise correctly.
    If you are a beginner, the barbell row could also be one
    thing to build up to since the hip hinged position that may require hamstring and glute activation may suffer.
    This unilateral variation improves core stability and targets one facet of the
    back at a time. It provides all the advantages of an upper-body pulling movement with little to no threat.

    Keep your again flat and have interaction your core as you hinge on the hips
    and barely bend your knees. From this beginning place, pull the barbell in course of your chest,
    squeezing your shoulder blades collectively on the top of the
    motion. Lower the barbell back to the beginning
    place and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
    Chest-supported machine rows are a fantastic various to the
    bent-over row, offering help for the chest and decreasing strain on the lower
    back while successfully concentrating on the again muscular tissues.

    The advantage of this train is that it develops your stabilizer muscles leading
    to higher steadiness. Many skilled athletes use the
    reverse grip barbell row as they feel it offers a better total back
    exercise, because it hits the lats more successfully than the standard cable rows.
    The bent-over row is an iconic compound train that was and nonetheless is performed by many gym enthusiasts that want to build a stronger and bigger back.

    You can do that train many occasions all through the week and
    save vitality for your olympic lifts or compound exercises.
    For this exercise, you get the direct back muscle activation by pulling
    the dumbbells diagonally in the course of your hip, and because you’re lying flat on the
    bench, you don’t have the flexibility to ‘cheat reps’.
    The t-bar row, or the landmine row, is an outstanding exercise to isolate your back muscular tissues.
    In Contrast To other row variations, the t-bar row is
    far safer because it doesn’t place your lower again in a compromised
    place.
    Alternatives like the chest-supported row reduce the danger
    of harm as a end result of your torso has help through the exercise.
    But others could not require the same equipment,
    making it simpler to perform them at home and nonetheless get a
    full again exercise. This compound again movement is meant to be a
    extra explosive model of a bent-over barbell row, so it’s great for athletes that may profit from coaching
    their fast twitch muscle fibers. Moreover, you’re
    much less prone to cheat performing a pendlay row compared to the barbell bent-over row because it’s more challenging to
    use momentum to carry the weight. Bent over rows are generally carried out for constructing muscle mass in muscle groups
    just like the lats, trapezius, rotator cuff
    muscles, biceps brachii and posterior deltoids.

    Nonetheless, additionally they serve a practical function as being one of many heavier pulling movements outside of
    the deadlift. Examine out our cable row options to assist strengthen your higher again muscles.

    By using dumbbells as an alternative of a barbell, both sides of the back is engaged independently, serving to to appropriate any imbalances and
    improve general energy. Dumbbells goal your muscular tissues from completely different angles than a barbell,
    but you will nonetheless get an excellent back
    and lat exercise. Variations like single-arm dumbbell rows assist you to balance the
    power in your left and proper aspect.
    Other efficient options include T-bar rows, Pendlay rows, inverted
    rows, incline dumbbell rows, suspension coach rows, Meadows rows, band rows,
    and lat pulldowns. These workout routines could
    be carried out with different gear and provide distinctive advantages for muscle improvement and energy.
    By incorporating these options into your workout routine, you’ll find a way
    to add variety and cut back the risk of harm whereas nonetheless successfully concentrating
    on the back muscular tissues. Exchange bent-over rows in your workout with free-weight exercises like single-arm dumbbell rows and lying bench rows.
    To use machines to replace bent-over rows, add seated cable rows to your routine.
    For a body weight various to bent-over rows, strive inverted rows or TRX rows.

    By combining a few these workouts into a exercise with wide-grip pull-ups, face-pulls, and lower again extensions.

    Keep In Mind, essentially the most crucial muscle to engage
    whereas performing again exercise is the core.
    This is essential as many again actions place a substantial amount of stress on the
    decrease again and backbone, so keeping the core fully engaged throughout the movement prevents damage
    from occurring. The cable row or different actions such as the one-arm row is assessed
    as “pulling” actions. The overwhelming majority of high quality trainers and coaches will implement both “pushing and pulling movements” into their consumer routines.
    Nonetheless, most of the time, the pushing
    actions far outnumber the pulling.
    There is nothing mistaken with this, but, for variety,
    it’s typically useful to train one aspect at a time – a
    unilateral exercise. Whereas this is extra of a
    variation than another, it’s nonetheless a sound train. That stated,
    if you are capable of do pull-ups or chin-ups, they’re
    both great lat pulldown different workouts.
    He launched Steven Fitspot in 2024 to share his love of well being and wellness with others.
    On his weblog, Steven provides useful workouts, diet tips, and motivational advice to
    assist his readers keep active and achieve their fitness
    targets. With 10 years of experience within the industry, he has skilled shoppers
    of all ages and abilities. Plus, just a easy change of equipment can add some much-needed selection to a exercise program.
    There are two widespread mistakes that I see on a daily basis when it comes to TRX Rows (basically the same as Inverted Row).
    One, athletes I coach like to either pull their face to the bar and even raise their chin up and over
    the bar like a pull-up. There are two frequent
    errors that I see all the time in terms of Inverted Row.
    Single-arm dumbbell rows are a superb various to the bent-over row,
    allowing you to target all sides of your again individually and
    enhance strength and type. This exercise is ideal for
    those looking to swap up their routine or avoid the strain that may
    come with traditional barbell rows. By isolating each side of your back, you’ll
    have the ability to focus on developing balanced energy and symmetry.
    Not solely do single-arm dumbbell rows target your again muscle tissue effectively,
    however they also interact your core and stabilizing muscles throughout
    the train. To reap the total advantages of this train,
    be sure to keep proper form and concentrate on squeezing your again muscles on the prime of each rep.
    The eight seated cable row various exercises have
    offered you with plenty of choices to get the same benefits of the seated cable row in your home fitness center with nothing but barbells, dumbbells and bands.

    Nonetheless, every will let you work the identical muscular tissues
    by way of an identical plane of movement and angle of movement.
    The high pull is a hybrid between a lat pulldown and a
    seated row, coming from an angle that is roughly midway between the 2.
    The diagonal pulling angle does a a lot better job of following the fiber course
    of the lats, allowing you to successfully lengthen and
    contract your last via their full range of motion. It’s a single arm row movement and when accomplished
    with right type is a great alternative 
    to the t bar row as it really works so many muscular tissues.

    This train targets the back and lats and also engages the core for stability.
    It is essential to notice that correct type is essential
    for any rowing exercise to be effective and safe.

    Though they don’t generate the facility or size of standard weights,
    they’re a great addition to any again routine, and can help you right your
    type, and humility, very quickly. The seal row has emerged as a preferred variation of the row that can function a close
    to excellent substitute to the cable row. You carry out this mendacity face down on a bench, which takes almost all the strain off the decrease back, and maximizes tension on the upper again, significantly the traps and rear delts.
    The dumbbell row is a good way to isolate both sides of the back while additionally keeping the load heavy.
    The dumbbell single arm row is an isolateral movement, meaning you’ll have the ability to control the vary of movement and pressure on both
    side.
    As you presumably can see, your grip, angle you bend over at, and where you row the bar in relation to your torso
    will closely affect the muscles that you simply primarily work.
    Just keep in mind that that is nonetheless a compound train and it’ll therefore work the whole thing of
    your upper posterior chain to some extent. The barbell row is
    considered one of the greatest back constructing workout routines you could presumably add to your routine.
    It presents an excellent route in terms of progressive overload and for that cause,
    it is often considered a compound train (alongside the fact that it engages a number of muscle
    groups). Read on to find out about options to the seated cable row that can have your again getting wider, thicker, and more defined in no time.
    In this article, we lay out nine alternatives to the Hammer
    Power high-row machine. To be honest, None – anunciosclassificados.org – of them are as effective
    as doing the train on an actual Hammer Energy
    machine.
    The chest supported T-bar row might be my favorite various to the bent over barbell row, it places minimal stress on the lower again whilst
    nonetheless allowing you to raise some heavy weights. The
    seated cable row is a variation of the traditional row and is considered an accessory back movement.
    It is carried out seated on a bench or on the floor, and the
    weight is pulled horizontally toward the chest or belly space.
    In this submit, we’ll briefly discuss the seated cable row and how it works, after which what makes for a great different.
    We’ll list those workouts and how to do every, along
    with their advantages, variations that influence the muscle
    tissue they work, and ideal rep ranges to actually benefit from those movements.
    Pendlay rows are a fantastic various to bent-over barbell rows as they interact the identical muscle groups.
    Pendlay rows have an impressive capacity to enhance strength and dimension in your again, lats,
    and core.

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