GM's R&D Chief Larry Burns, A Passionate Hydrogen Advocate, To Retire
By John O'Dell July 14, 2009
Larry Burns, one of the auto industry's most outspoken backers of hydrogen technology, is retiring in the wake of the company's bankruptcy and announced intent to thin top executive ranks.
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Larry Burns introduces the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicle.
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Burns, who joined GM in 1969, said in a brief statement that he believes much of the technology he's worked on as head of R&D "is ready for commercialization."This is a good time for me to pass the baton to others who are very qualified to drive technology leadership."
No word yet on his plans for life after GM, but with his credentials, Burns ought to be able to write his own ticket in a number of arenas.
We here at Green Car Advisor hope that he'll wind up in the hydrogen fuel -cell industry, where he could serve as a most eloquent advocate for a technology that ought to be getting as much support from the government as battery-electric, or plug-in, transportation.
Burns (right)
shepherded the Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell electric vehicle into existence - that's the FCEV that GM has been leasing to hundreds of people around the country in a 30-month program slated to end in mid-2010 - and has helped lead the charge for development of a national hydrogen fueling system to support widespread use of zero-emissions vehicles .
Although a proponent of hydrogen, Burns was not a foe of batter-electric technology, and often said -in public and in private -that the two should exist side-by-side as part of the effort to free the country of its dependence on oil.
His department was heavily involved in development of the Chevrolet Volt, GM's plug-in, extended-range electric hybrid.
Burns reportedly had a number of clashes with GM Vice Chairman Robert Lutz, and the outspoken Lutz' decision to rescind his own retirement announcement and stay on in the post-bankruptcy GM in charge of "creative elements" of product and customer relations , might have triggered Burn's decision to go.
It's also widely known that while GM leadership has vowed to keep the company's green initiative at the top of their priority list, the goal now is to achieve maximum fuel economy as quickly as possible - and with a reduced R&D budget.
Burns was focused on long-term research and may have seen the government-driven push for fuel efficiency ASAP as the death knell for the kind of work for which he is best suited.
Additionally, Lutz - who headed battery company Exide Technologies after leaving Chrysler and before joining GM in 2001 - has made it clear that his emphasis will be on developing plug-in and battery-electric cars and that he sees hydrogen as a far distant solution, if a solution at all.
Burns reportedly told CEO Fritz Henderson nearly a month ago -before Lutz' unretirement was announced - that he'd decided to leave, but Lutz decision to stay likely was well known within GM's top ranks long before the public was made aware.
Whatever the reason for his retirement, Burns will be missed.
An lot of the technology advances GM scored in the 1990s and early '00s, such as the Autonomy platform, and fuel-cell driven Hy-wire and Chevrolet Sequel concepts, came out of Dr. Burn's R&D department.
He also was often called on to be GM's voice on environmental matters. The New York Times called him GM''s "Mr. Environment" in a 2007 profile.
There may be a lot of people left at the company who can commercialize the stuff developed under Burn's direction, but it will be hard to find someone of his caliber to lead the drive for the next generation of technological advances.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
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