In recent days, both houses of Congress have voted to restore funding to
hydrogen and automotive fuel cell programs proposed for cutting by the
Department of Energy.  This bipartisan support shows that Congress
recognizes fuel cells as a critical energy-saving and competitive
technology.

As the race toward fuel cell commercialization nears the finish line, the
question is whether the U.S. will import those fuel cell vehicles from
overseas or make them domestically.

GM believes fuel cell vehicles will be a part of the country’s future
vehicle portfolio and we remain committed to retaining our leadership in
fuel cell technology.  That is why we have kept the fuel cell development
program in place throughout our recent financial crisis - including through
bankruptcy.  We believe the country needs this technology if it is going to
achieve its mid- and long-term goals of reducing petroleum dependency and
greenhouse gas emissions.

In recent discussions, Congress has asked GM what it would take to ensure
that the U.S. keeps pace with other industrial countries and to keep a
winning, domestic fuel cell development program on track.  Based on our
extensive work in this area, we believe that something in the range of $50
million to $70 million a year, dedicated to a focused effort to
commercialize automotive fuel cell technology within five years, would be
needed to match the comparable efforts we are seeing in Europe and Asia.