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TOKYO – Honda Motor Co. plans to have a fuel-cell electric vehicle ready for production by 2003, Honda President Hiroyuki Yoshino announced today.
Mr Yoshino made the commitment as the company unveiled two prototype cars powered by fuel cells, the much-anticipated next generation powerplants for motor vehicles.
He also committed Honda to a new generation of low emission, high fuel economy petrol engines for cars, motorcycles and power equipment from next year.
Mr Yoshino said Honda was pursuing two types of fuel cell technology – methonol cell and hydrogen cell.
He said the company had produced fuel cell concept cars based on Honda's EV Plus electric vehicle. These vehicles housed a motor, fuel cell and reformer within a flat platform.
The Honda FCX-V1 has a hydrogen fuel cell stack manufactured by Ballard Power Systems Inc and employs hydrogen occlusion alloy for fuel storage.
The FCX-V2 employs a Honda-made methanol-fuel cell stack incorporating a Honda-developed reformer for extracting hydrogen.
Both of these prototypes use Honda's own small yet highly efficient drive motor and control system.
Specifications
| Honda FCX-V1 |
Motor |
Permanent magnet AC synchronised motor manufactured by Honda. |
Power |
49kW |
| Fuel Cell Stack |
Solid polymer PEFC (Proton Exhange Fuel Cell) manufactured by Ballard Power Systems Inc. |
| Fuel |
Pure hydrogen |
| Storage system |
Hydrogen occlusion tank (La-Ni5) |
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| Honda FCX-V2 |
| Motor |
Permanent magnet AC synchronised motor manufactured by Honda |
| Power |
49kW |
Fuel cell stack |
Solid polymer PEFC (Proton Exchange Fuel Cell) manufactured by Honda |
Fuel |
Methanol |
Reforming system
| Auto thermal system |
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