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Honda is showing the future of motoring at the Melbourne Motor Show with the
unveiling of a hydrogen-powered fuel cell car complete with a hydrogen
refuelling station for the home.
The Honda FCX Concept’s hydrogen-powered electric engine eliminates all
greenhouse gas emissions and emits only water from the exhaust pipe.
Honda’s Home Energy Station bypasses the need for a hydrogen refuelling
infrastructure by allowing drivers of fuel-cell vehicles to refuel at home. The
Home Energy Station not only converts the home’s existing natural gas supply
into hydrogen, it also supplies heat and electricity for domestic use.
Honda plans to begin limited sales of a totally new fuel cell vehicle based
on the FCX Concept model in Japan and the U.S. in 2008.
The FCX Concept features a newly developed compact, high-efficiency Honda FC
Stack as well as a low-floor, low-riding, short-nose body. It offers a
comfortably large cabin and futuristic styling along with significant
improvements in power output and environmental performance.
To meet Honda objectives for significant gains in both environmental and
driving performance, the FCX Concept is equipped with a V Flow1 fuel cell
platform consisting of a compact, high-efficiency fuel cell stack arranged in an
innovative center-tunnel layout. This has allowed designers to create an
elegant, low-riding, sedan form that would have been difficult to achieve in a
conventional fuel cell vehicle.
Overall, the power plant is about 180kg lighter than Honda’s previous fuel
cell concept and about 40 percent smaller in volume. The result is improved
energy efficiency and performance along with a more spacious interior.
Low-temperature startup has also been significantly improved, enabling
cold-weather starts at temperatures 10˚C lower than the previous fuel cell
concept — as low as minus 30˚C.
While with previous fuel cell stacks the hydrogen and the water formed in
electricity generation flowed horizontally, the new FCX Concept features
vertical-flow design. This allows gravity to assist in discharging the water
that is produced, resulting in a major improvement in water drainage, key to
high-efficiency fuel stack performance. The result is stable power generation
under a broad range of conditions, and higher output from a smaller package.
As an auxiliary power source, the FCX Concept carries a compact,
high-efficiency lithium ion battery, contributing to increased power output and
a more compact power plant. These efficiency improvements to major power plant
components give the vehicle a travel range approximately 30 percent greater than
the previous fuel cell concept.
The vehicle is also highly efficient, with an energy efficiency of around 60
percent —approximately three times that of a petrol-engine vehicle, twice that
of a hybrid vehicle, and 10 percent better than the previous fuel cell concept.
Other features include seat upholstery and door linings made from Honda
Bio-Fabric, a plant-based material that offers outstanding durability and
resistance to sunlight damage. Improvements such as Shift-by-Wire and a newly
designed instrument panel with easy-to-read display of hydrogen fuel consumption
facilitate improved ease of operation.
The new fuel cell vehicle currently under development for release in 2008,
will feature the principle technologies of the FCX Concept to achieve a new
dimension in environmentally friendly driving pleasure not found with petrol
engine vehicles.
Specifications
| Number of passengers |
4 |
| Motor |
|
| Max. Output |
95kW (129PS) |
| Max. Torque |
256Nm (26.1kg/m) |
| Type |
AC synchronous motor (Honda mfg.) |
| Fuel Cell Stack |
|
| Type |
PEFC(proton exchange membrane fuel cell, |
|
Honda mfg.) |
| Output |
100kW |
| Fuel |
|
| Type |
Compressed hydrogen |
| Storage |
High-pressure hydrogen tank (350atm) |
| Tank Capacity |
171 litres |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) |
4,760 x 1,865 x 1,445mm |
| Max. Speed |
160km/h |
| Energy Storage |
Lithium Ion Battery |
| Vehicle Range* |
570km |
* When driven in LA4 mode (Honda calculations)
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