Hydrogen-Powered Honda FCX to go Into Production
Several months ago at the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda introduced a wind cheating, earth friendly, fuel cell-powered concept called the FCX. Several weeks ago in Detroit at the NAIAS, Honda quietly announced that they would build a production vehicle based on the FCX concept. With the advancements they’ve made for this latest generation of hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles, a production model will be ready within three to four years.
It will probably be available only to a small group of alternative fuel loyalists and devotees, and likely only in Japan or possibly California where Honda previously introduced the FCX-V4 of which a portion of 30 examples found their way into government fleets and at least one famiy, but the packaging solutions Honda has developed for hydrogen storage as well as their clever Home Energy Station, alleviating the need for widespread hydrogen refilling stations on the road, point the way around many of the obstacles, or detours, on the road to the hydrogen highway and zero-emission culture of the future.
Many of the advancements with the new FCX center around Honda’s V Flow fuel cell platform. The cells are stacked vertically in the center tunnel and arranged in a vertebral layout (think of it as though the stacks are your backbones if you are lying on your back) for higher efficiency packaging as well as more efficient management of gas flow (from top to bottom). Another breakthrough was in the realm of storage, and with a newly developed higher absorption material in the tanks which allowed Honda to double storage capacity. The FCX can achieve a real-world driving range of over 500 km (350 miles).
The fuel cells work by collecting energy from the conversion of hydrogen and oxygen into water, which gives off electricity. In the case of the FCX, the energy is then fed to three efficient motors, two compact 25kW motors in each of the rear wheels and a larger energy-efficient 80kW motor in the front. The three motors combine to make a total of 100kW, and the primary emission is water, which flows through those vertical stacks more easily than the usual horizontal arrangements.
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Comments
[…] According to an article here: http://cars.blogs.ca/2006/02/06/hydrogen-powered-honda-fcx-to-go-into-production […]
If the Home Energy System converts natural gas (mostly Hydrogen and Carbon) into Hydrogen, then where does all the Carbon go? I would suspect Carbon dioxide. So the carbon dioxide gets produced in the air around your house rather than out on the roads.
I still can’t see the point of a Hydrogen car. Hydrogen is not an energy source, is just a way of storing energy. You still need an energy source, which would be either natural gas or electricity, both of which are typically made by burning fossil fuels. The whole hydrogen fuel source just moves the pollution from being distributed evenly across the road network, to instead being concentrated at power plants or as Honda are suggesting, at our homes.
I’m not liking it!
[…] So, Ford is busy stuffing hybrid powertrains with technology licensed from Toyota into SUVs, GM is cutting their dividend, and Honda goes ahead and announces that they’re put their Fuel Cell vehicle into production. […]
Actually, the process at home is probably a catalytic one, so it’s probably going to result in pure carbon, not carbon dioxide. There will probably be a carbon trap you need to clean on an occasional basis.
To expand on what Darren said. Natural gas IS NOT made by burning fossil fuels, it is a fossil fuel (or most of what’s found in the earth’s crust is). The problem with reciprecating engines, of the type found in automobiles, is that they are less than 30 percent efficient at converting chemical energy into mechanical energy; yes, large diesel recip engines can exceed 50 percent efficiency, but this is not achievable in a small low temperature automobile engine (see a thermodynamics text, look up Carnot). Fuel cells, of the type Honda are considering are 70 to 80 percent efficeint. Of course one needs to take into account the conversion of natural gas to hydrogen which is 75 to 90 percent efficient, and the 95 percent efficiency of the electric motor. So net efficiency at the engines crank shaft is between 49 and 68 percent. And while pollution may be generated over a large area, less pollution is emitted. Plus there are much fewer NOx emmisions.
To rebut what Darren said, I have to disagree with Darren. Hydrogen is an energy source as it is used to generate the electricity in the car. You can’t get any more basic than Hydrogen (take a look at the periodic table).
Pollution is an entirely different argument. However, the level and type of pollution depends upon the source of your hydrogen. For example, if you are able to pull 3 of the 4 hydrogen atoms from corn, then your hydrogen source is completely biological.
I can see what you are trying to point out with regards to pollution, and I think Derek’s response says it all (and rather well, at that!).
One imporant thing to note is that while carbon is a contributer to climate change and a major problem, it has no health effects when released at the site of your home. So it is extremely different from the pollution cars create and distribute so evenly.
This natural gas plan can be connected to current infrastructure, and will contribute to the overall efficiency of your home, so the net pollution and CO2 emmissions are far lower than other systems. (plus the machine will create distilled water in your own home).
Even better is the ability at a later (but not too distant) date to convert this system from natural gas to photovoltaic or wind electricity. This technology is very well combined with fuel cells to allow for zero emission transport and reliable electricity supply. Hydrogen is not a source of energy, but a very convienient and clean method of storing it. We have plenty of clean renewable ways of creating energy.
All around, this system is smart and will provide the first step in infrastructure needed to start the coming revolution away from internal combustion.
I expect Honda won’t divulge its fuel cell’s hydrogen consumption per output DC kilowatt-hour — it is extremely uncommon for any fuel cell maker to do this — but typical efficiencies for low-specific-power hydrogen-air fuel cells are on the order of 30 percent.
Internal hydrogen combustion is more efficient, but does produce some oxides of nitrogen.
— Graham Cowan, former hydrogen fan
The technology is in the state of infancy. When our children are learning to walk we encourage them, even when they fall down trying. This should be the same attitude we hold when we are looking at this new technology. Give it a chance to walk first before we expect it to run. Just like our children, we are surprised where and how far they take us, when they can run. Go Honda!
We need electric generators that separate the hydrogen and oxygen in water!
That way we could all put solar panels on our houses and it would be perfectly clean!
Algae production is a clean way for stations producion along with solar panels at the station where hydrogens being sold.
I can see Shell offering Regular Unleaded, Super Unleaded, and Hydrogen at their stations in the future.
If we get more advancement in storage, you may be able to double the capacity once more to like 700 miles then to 1500. Thats more than 1/2 of the way across the country.
On the natural gas tip. The demand for natural gas is going to sky rocket if this happens. Get Stock!!LOL! Not enough Natural gas to go around.
Honda FCX Fuel Cell Vehicle: Production in 3-4 Years
The FCX, Honda’s new fuel cell car, generated lots of enthusiasm and positive reactions each time we mentioned it (see links at the end of this post). With its elegant lines, low floor and cabin-forward design, it looks like that ever elusive “car o…
Home run for Honda for making the thing look so sexy. This will be THE car to have, especially if you do not have to worry about the filling station issue.
No matter how much the darn thing costs, Gift Fella will have it up as an Item of Abject Lust the day it is truly available. If I can’t afford it, at least I can point people to it who can!
Hydrogen follows Hybrid in Honda’s Catalog?
Hybrid vehicles are a stepping stone, moving auto manufacturers slowly towards the ultimate goal of clean, zero greenhouse gas, renewable automotive fuels. Many observers are placing their bets for the ultimate clean car technology on hydrogen fuel cel
“Clean” methods of extracting hydrogen from fossil fuels (be it gas, coal or oil) are a distinct possibility, but these are NOT renewable sources of energy. Hydrogen extraction from organic material would be renewable in the sense that fields can be replanted, and may even be a way to ‘fix’ gaseous carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into non-greenhouse forms of carbon. It’s hard to believe, though, that ultimately science will not provide a way to improve on nature for converting solar energy and abundant natural resources into useable fuels. Whether a ‘fuel’ as such is ultimately needed as a vector between energy capture and energy use is an interesting question: I think the answer is yes, fuel as a vector of energy storage will always be needed, because the physical space needed to capture solar energy will always far exceed the physical dimensions of the location where we wish to use the energy.
Many people have said that Hydrogen isn’t an energy source but merely a means of storing energy. I’d just like to remind every one that energy can’t be created, not can it be destroyed. It can only be changed or transformed into the users needs, in this case a clean fuel. IF you want to be pedantic then there really is no such thing as an energy source, only the source of energy transformation.
And I can’t wait to get me one of theses cars, they look great and have Zero emissions!
honda FCX is cool,i was waiting to hear about a car which will run from hydrogen & oxygen.Could you please send me its internal features & picture to my mail
honda FCX is cool,i was waiting to hear about a car which will run from hydrogen & oxygen.Could you please send me its internal features & picture to my mail
I TOLD THIS TO MY TEACHER BUT HE DISAGREED THE FACT . SO I WOULD LIKE TO PROVE THEM THAT I AM RIGHT . HENCE FULFIL THE ABOVER REQUEST
[…] Several months ago at the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda introduced a wind cheating, earth friendly, fuel cell-powered concept called the FCX. Several weeks ago in Detroit at the NAIAS, Honda quietly announced that they would build a production vehicle based on the FCX concept.read more | digg story […]
Honda already sells the Civic GX, powered by natural gas (CNG). I think hydrogen gas and CNG are interchangable as fuels, due to the simlarities in physical characteristics, especially that they both have an octane rating of about 130 and roughly the same amount of energy per gallon equivalent
Buy a GX today (assuming you have piped natural gas available in your area), be ready for hydrogen tomorrow. We can only buy our future, it won’t be handed to us on a silver platter.
How much will the cost of the electricity be at the current rates to produce about 30 miles worth of hydrogen?
We need to move to a CNG vehicle economy. Natural gas (methane) can be made by composting our organic wastes in anaerobic digesters. We can convert existing gas cars to run bifuel on methane/ gasoline. Instead of burying our waste we can create a fuel with a fertilizer byproduct. This fertilizer could replace the current petroleum based fertilizers. When the Hydrogen economy is a reality, you could run your CNG vehicle on hydrogen until you are able to afford a fuel cell vehicle.
Hydrogen production can be done either in the car or at a filling station. In situ has the advantage of not needing storage and producing the hydrogen on demand to feed the fuel cell. Production at a filling station on the other hand although produced ” on demand” requires on board storage. On demand hydrogen production would be done using aluminum/ gallium pellets immersed in water. Do your own google search on this technology. The number of pellets added would be computer controlled to produce just the amount of hydrogen required. On board storage would need further development of carbon nanotubes as a storage medium. Of course once the vehicle has the stored hydrogen, it could be used for a fuel cell to produce electricity to drive electric motors or it could be burned in an internal combustion engine. There are interesting technologies on the horizon.
Is this in any way related with the Hydrogen test car that was under test by a family in California??
Kiltak
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