Honda offers a solution with FCX Clarity

At the Los Angeles International Motor Show this month, Honda have unveiled their FCX Clarity hyrogen fuel-cell powered car, with plans to begin a limited marketing of the vehicle next summer.

The FCX Clarity is described by Honda as ' a next-generation, zero-emission, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle based on an entirely new Honda V Flow fuel cell platform, and powered by the highly compact, efficient and powerful Honda V Flow fuel cell stack. Featuring tremendous improvements to driving range, power, weight and efficiency – and boasting a low-slung, dynamic and sophisticated appearance, previously unachievable in a fuel cell vehicle – the FCX Clarity marks the significant progress Honda continues to make in advancing the real-world performance and appeal of the hydrogen-powered fuel cell car.'

The vehicle's only emission is water!

The plan is to introduce the FCX Clarity into service by a leasing scheme to a limited number of consumers in Southern California,US in the summer of 2008. Presumably, if this works out ,production will be stepped upto to meet market demand. As mentioned previously, a restriction on use will be the current limited availablity of refuelling facilities. One solution, in a recent post here on lec ,is the home generation unit ,also being developed by Honda.(see 16th November 2007)

This latest generation has other ground-breaking features for the driving comfort of the driver, using advanced materials technology to produce,for example , a new eco-friendly bio-fabric ,for the upholstery and door linings,with remarkable stretch and fit qualities.Furthermore,
Honda say you can expect:

* a 20 per cent increase in fuel economy (about 2-3 times the fuel economy of a petrol-powered car, and 1.5 times that of a petrol-electric hybrid vehicle, of comparable size and performance);
* a 30 per cent increase in vehicle range – to 270 miles (approximately 430 km);
* a 120 per cent improvement in power-to-weight ratio, in part due to around a 400-pound (approximately 180kg) reduction in the fuel cell powertrain weight, despite a substantial increase in overall vehicle size;
* a 45 per cent reduction in the size of the fuel cell powertrain – nearly equivalent, in terms of volume, to a modern petrol-electric hybrid powertrain;
* an advanced new lithium-ion battery pack that is 40 per cent lighter and 50 per cent smaller than the current-generation FCX’s ultracapacitor;
* a single 5,000-psi hydrogen storage tank with 10 per cent additional hydrogen capacity than the previous model

Images and other Honda press material can be seen at the Honda (UK)
media web site