• by Tanya Gazdik , June 22, 2020

As the pandemic continues and disinfecting remains top-of-mind, Honda and General Motors have partnered to produce — not a vehicle, but hand sanitizer. 

Nearly12,000 gallons have been created through the automakers’ Fuel Cell System Manufacturing partnership. The hand sanitizer will be used by both companies at their facilities throughout the region, and Honda is donating 3,750 bottles to health care facilities in Ohio and Michigan this week.

The hand sanitizer is being made at the Brownstown, Michigan facility where the FCSM team has been working on the development of fuel-cell fuel stacks for the next generation of hydrogen-powered cars. 

Using an apparatus designed to manufacture the electrodes used in the fuel cells, the team developed a process to repurpose the equipment to make the sanitizer.

Honda will donate nearly 75% of its allocation of the product, packaged in  9 oz. bottles, to health care facilities.

Packaging Corporation of America donated the packaging needed to ship the product, and the FCSM team worked with other companies to handle the bottling. 

In addition to donating hand sanitizer to health care facilities, Honda will provide 1,500 gallons of the product for use in its manufacturing plants.