Chevy’s Colorado ZH2 Can Power A Small Field Hospital For Hours

Fuel cell vehicles are often boring, awkwardly shaped machines, built with maximum efficiency in mind, but not this one.

In its quest for innovation, Chevrolet took a different route while developing the Colorado ZH2, trying to prove that hydrogen-powered vehicles can withstand extreme conditions.

That’s why Colorado ZH2 will commence military field testing in 2017 in order to evaluate the effectiveness of such a vehicle in mission settings – according to Chevy. Although based on a stretched and reinforced Colorado chassis, the prototype has little in common with the road-going vehicle. The cab, doors, and roof are the same, but everything else was modified or upgraded; for instance, the cab was moved back 5 inches (125 mm) to accommodate 37-inch off-road tires, so the car’s proportions are slightly different.

The power dome on the carbon-fiber reinforced Kevlar hood shields the transversely mounted fuel cell stack, while the front end of the car is being described as a “dramatic departure” from the standard Colorado. What’s more interesting is that the cooling system was moved to the rear, in order to help regulate electric power temperatures in hot environments – especially as the truck was also conceived to generate power while stationary.

At the rear, there’s a clamshell cover with integrated air intakes. The rig also houses an Exportable Power Take-off (EPTO) electric power conditioning unit, which can be used to power a subdivision, or even a small field hospital for hours – by drawing high-voltage D/C from the fuel cell.

The Colorado’s ZH2’s chassis was engineered for off-road use, featuring 12 inches (30.5 cm) of ground clearance, and 48-degree approach angle and 39-degree departure angle. The 93 kW fuel cell system transfers power to the 132 kW electric motor, producing 236 lb-ft (318 Nm) of instant torque.