GM And Supplier Planning Hydrogen Fuel Cell Plant In Detroit
General Motors (GM) and Piston Automotive are in the planning stages to construct a new hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing plant in Detroit. If completed, the facility will be GM’s first standalone plant dedicated to hydrogen fuel cell production. The plant is expected to create roughly 50 assembly jobs at launch, plus a range of supporting positions, with the potential to grow to 300 jobs as production scales.
Per a report from Crain’s Detroit Business, the new facility will be located at the former State Fairgrounds along Eight Mile Road, and includes a 292,550-square-foot building. The entire building will be leased and operated by Piston Automotive, a contract manufacturer owned by former Detroit Pistons NBA player Vinnie Johnson.
GM chief economic development and real estate officer David Massaron in an interview with Crain’s Detroit Business, said :
It’s great to have a new technology in the city we’re from,
“To us it’s a really exciting investment not only to the future of our company but also an investment in the city, and we’re really proud of it.”
While GM previously collaborated with Honda to produce fuel cells at a 70,000-square-foot facility in Brownstown Township, this new Detroit facility would only produce fuel cells, while the Brownstown plant also produces additional components.
That said, the Detroit project is still in its early stages, with production not expected to begin for several years. A special land use permit will be required before the factory can move forward with construction. Additionally, local residents have raised concerns about potential noise and pollution, but developers have assured the community that the facility will produce minimal pollution due to the clean nature of hydrogen technology.
The strategic location of the new hydrogen fuel cell facility places it near a key logistics hubs, including a massive 3.8-million-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center, plus a Target “sortation” warehouse.
Piston Automotive has a history with GM, with the former previously contracted to operate a “value-added assembly” plant located at the former Palace of Auburn Hills site following a major $278 million investment. The investment at the former Palace of Auburn Hills site is expected to create 960 new jobs.
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GM And Supplier Planning Hydrogen Fuel Cell Plant In Detroit, source
