Chevrolet Silverado ZH2 is a Fuel Cell-Powered Heavy-Duty Military Truck

Two years ago, GM introduced the Colorado ZH2, a hydrogen fuel cell-powered pickup truck jointly developed with the U.S. Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC). The concept was built to test the viability of hydrogen powertrains in military applications, and prototypes spent all of last year in field trials with the Army. The results of those tests must have been at least a little bit promising, as GM Defense, GM’s recently formed defense industry subsidiary, just revealed the larger Chevrolet Silverado ZH2 concept.

The Silverado ZH2 quietly debuted in a video recently posted on GM Defense’s website, first discovered by Automotive News. The video gives us a brief look at the truck’s hydrogen fuel cell powertrain, which appears to feature front and rear electric motors. Stored between the frame rails are two of the three 700-bar hydrogen tanks and a Jouletec lithium-ion battery pack. GM Defense says the trucks have a range of more than 400 miles. We also get a glimpse of the truck’s DSSV spool valve shocks, the same Multimatic-sourced dampers used by the Colorado ZR2.

The Silverado ZH2 looks like it could be based on the next-gen Silverado HD, which is expected to debut in 2019. The truck isn’t as futuristic-looking as the Colorado ZH2, though it still sports tacticool embellishments such as extra body cladding and slender LED cluster headlamps. In addition to the basic olive drab paint scheme, the Silverado ZH2 is shown wearing desert camo and search and rescue colors.

Beyond those few details, not much is known about the truck. A GM spokeswoman told us in an email, “Currently the Silverado ZH2 is a concept and is on the GM Defense website because it was shown at [the 2018 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) defense show]. We do not comment on future product but we will certainly reach out if we have updates to share.”

Until then, click here to watch the video and imagine how a hydrogen-powered Silverado would fit in on the battlefields of tomorrow.

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