Massachusetts Students Experiment With Fuel Cell Technology

General Motors Sponsors Nationwide Fuel Cell Education Program For Middle-Schoolers

Cambridge, Mass. - Today on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, students from the Harbor Middle School of Boston and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Open School of Cambridge, will experiment with hydrogen fuel cell technology in the General Motors Tech Tour for Students program. As part of their participation, students will also assemble a fuel cell vehicle model.

The Tech Tour for Students program is designed to teach middle school students about fuel cell technology and the positive environmental and economic benefits of a hydrogen economy. The program highlights the ongoing fuel cell research and development that GM is embarking on as part of its ultimate vision of a hydrogen economy.

"In the future, fuel cell technology will be an important part of these students' daily lives," said Elizabeth A. Lowery, GM vice president of environment and energy. "By developing a curriculum that explores the technology now, we believe revolutionary ideas and research will make that day come a little sooner."

"This program reinforces MIT's desire to increase partnership opportunities with public schools," said Paul Parravano from the office of government and community relations of MIT.

Tech Tour for Students is an extension of GM's nationwide in-school fuel cell education program called "Fuel Cells: Driving the Future." This curriculum was launched in 2002 and has reached nearly 3.5 million middle school students. It was developed by Lifetime Learning SystemsŪ, Inc., a division of Weekly Reader Corp., and it provides science teachers with a free, engaging curriculum that highlights the fundamentals of hydrogen fuel cell technology. Weekly Reader is the leading classroom periodical publisher and currently serves more than 11 million children (pre-K through high school) and 400,000 teachers nationwide.

Tech Tour for Students and "Fuel Cells: Driving the Future" are parts of GM's broader K-12 education initiative, which strives to enlighten and educate children about important issues that will impact their future. These initiatives provide timely and interesting information, as well as suggestions for incorporating these ideas within a science curriculum. For more information, visit www.gmability.com/education.

The Tech Tour for Students is traveling to several U.S. cities in conjunction with the 2004 GM Technology Tour, including Boston; Durham, N.C.; Miami and Austin. The overall tour provides local public policy and other opinion leaders an opportunity to experience new technologies and innovative vehicles that positively impact the environment. Included in the tour is GM's Hy-wire, the world's first driveable vehicle that combines by-wire technology with a fuel cell propulsion system. Other vehicles include hybrids and clean diesels.

"GM has created and supported these education initiatives because we believe they are essential in creating a sustainable future," said Lowery. "Through our outreach programs, we involve young people to demonstrate that we all have a responsibility to protect our environment."

General Motors Corp. , the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, employs about 325,000 people globally. Founded in 1908, GM has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM today has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 192 countries. In 2003, GM sold nearly 8.6 million cars and trucks, about 15 percent of the global vehicle market. GM's global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM and its products can be found on the company's corporate website at www.gm.com. GM's corporate responsibility web site, www.gmability.com, contains additional information about GM's environmental initiatives.