GM says hydrogen power needs funding

DETROIT, July 29 (UPI) -- U.S. automaker General Motors Co. said its hydrogen fuel-cell research program is in danger of falling behind as funding grows scarce.

"The program has not slowed down at all. The issue is, going forward, do we have sufficient money to operate at that rate," GM's vice president of research, Larry Burns, told USA Today Wednesday.

The program is years away from putting a hydrogen fuel-cell car on the market, but it has been able to run steadily despite GM's bankruptcy filing this summer.

But the program is likely to be under more scrutiny this year. GM's commercial business has received about $50 billion in government bailout funds prior to and during its bankruptcy proceeding.

In his first months as secretary of the Department of Energy, Steven Chu reduced the hydrogen research budget by $100 million to focus on electric cars, which are closer to market acceptance and already in production.

GM is seeking grants to maintain its research and has some support in Congress, where some lawmakers have intentions to restore funding, the newspaper said.