HONDA FCV CONCEPT POINTS TO FORTHCOMING ‘HYDROGEN SOCIETY’

 
Honda’s next-generation fuel cell vehicle will succeed the brand’s two previous production fuel cell cars, the FCX and FCX Clarity, and will feature significant improvements in performance and costs. The newly-developed fuel cell stack installed in the FCV CONCEPT is 33% smaller than its predecessor, and yet realises an output of more than 100 kW and an output density as high as 3.1 kW/L. This contributes to an overall performance improvement of approximately 60%.
At its launch next year, Honda’s third production fuel cell vehicle will be the world’s first[1] fuel cell car with the entire powertrain, including the downsized fuel cell stack, housed under the bonnet of a conventional sedan body shape. This packaging layout enables designers and engineers to develop a full cabin package that seats five adults comfortably. This in turn provides a future pathway to evolve Honda’s fuel cell-specific platform to provide the foundation for further body styles, which will contribute to promoting the more widespread acceptance and adoption of this zero emissions technology by an ever broadening section of motorists.

The Honda FCV CONCEPT is equipped with a 70 MPa high-pressure hydrogen storage tank that provides a cruising range of more than 700 km[2] (435 miles). The tank can be refilled in approximately three minutes[3], making refuelling as quick and easy as today’s conventionally-fuelled cars.
As part of its holistic approach to promoting the adoption of the forthcoming ‘hydrogen energy society’, Honda continues to tackle the challenges facing the uptake of the fuel cell vehicle by developing new enabler hydrogen technologies beyond the vehicle itself. One such innovation installed in the FCV CONCEPT is the Honda Power Exporter Concept, an external power feeding function[4], which underwent a large number of verification tests with the FCX Clarity. This system enables the car to function as a small mobile power plant that generates and provides electricity to the community in times of disaster or other events. It is capable of producing up to 9kW[5] of AC power.