Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 Fuel-Cell Vehicle Is Basically Made for “Halo”

There are halo cars, and then there are Halo cars; consider the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 fuel-cell vehicle among the latter. At six and a half feet tall and more than seven feet wide, the brawny Chevy looks like it came straight from the world of the Halo video game series.

The truck was unveiled at the annual meeting and exposition of the Association of the United States Army in Washington, D.C., and will be a test bed to see how viable hydrogen-powered vehicles are when used for military missions. Using Chevrolet’s mid-size Colorado as a base, the extensively modified ZH2 FCV replaces the standard truck’s internal-combustion engine with an electric powertrain that’s fueled by hydrogen. Adding to the Colorado ZH2 FCV’s capabilities are a set of massive 37-inch tires and a modified suspension designed to significantly improve the truck’s off-road prowess.

There are halo cars, and then there are Halo cars; consider the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 fuel-cell vehicle among the latter. At six and a half feet tall and more than seven feet wide, the brawny Chevy looks like it came straight from the world of the Halo video game series.

The truck was unveiled at the annual meeting and exposition of the Association of the United States Army in Washington, D.C., and will be a test bed to see how viable hydrogen-powered vehicles are when used for military missions. Using Chevrolet’s mid-size Colorado as a base, the extensively modified ZH2 FCV replaces the standard truck’s internal-combustion engine with an electric powertrain that’s fueled by hydrogen. Adding to the Colorado ZH2 FCV’s capabilities are a set of massive 37-inch tires and a modified suspension designed to significantly improve the truck’s off-road prowess.

Thanks to its innovative power source, the Colorado ZH2 FCV offers a number of potential military benefits compared with today’s internal-combustion engine, including a lower heat signature and less running noise. Plus, there’s the fact that using hydrogen as a power source means the truck’s only emission is water—a useful resource in war-torn countries that may lack clean running water. Adding to the Colorado ZH2 FCV’s versatility is its bed-mounted fuel cell, which can be removed from the truck and used as a remote generator.

The Colorado ZH2 FCV was developed with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center, and General Motors notes that the truck came to fruition less than a year after the auto manufacturer was awarded the project’s contract. The company added that it will continue testing the ZH2 at its Milford Proving Ground until early next year, at which point it will hand the vehicle over to the U.S. Army for a year’s worth of testing.

Given the project’s infancy, it seems unlikely the Army will deploy the Colorado ZH2 FCV for combat anytime soon. In fact, we’d wager the truck will see a digital deployment first—perhaps in a future Halo game