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Forum » Prototype Forums (EV's, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Fuel Cell, Petrol, Diesel) » The Hydrogen and Fuel-Cell Forum

Honda makes first hydrogen cars

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Written on: 16. 06. 08 [15:12]
ecoadmin Administrator Topic creator registered since: 20.07.2007 Posts: 387	Japanese car manufacturer Honda has begun the first commercial production of a zero-emission, hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicle. The four-seater, called FCX Clarity, runs on hydrogen and electricity, emitting only water vapour. Honda claims the vehicle offers three times better fuel efficiency than a traditional, petrol-powered car. Honda plans to produce 200 of the cars, which are initially available only to lease, over the next three years. One of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel-cell vehicles is the lack of hydrogen fuelling stations. The first five customers are all based in southern California because of the proximity of hydrogen fuelling stations, Honda said. US actress Jamie Lee Curtis will be among the first to take delivery of the vehicle, the firm added. 'Monumental step' The car will initially be available for lease in California starting in July, and then in Japan later this year. It is being built on the world's first dedicated production line for fuel-cell vehicles in Japan. "This is an important day in the history of fuel-cell vehicle technology and a monumental step closer to the day when fuel-cell cars will be part of the mainstream," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. Honda says it expects to lease a few dozen units in the US and Japan in 2008, and about 200 units within three years. It said the cost of the car, on a three-year lease, would be $600 (£300) a month. The FCX Clarity is based on Honda's previous-generation hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, the FCX concept car. Honda delivered around 34 of these cars, mainly in the US, of which 10 remain in use. Booming demand Many car makers are developing cleaner, more economical vehicles because of high fuel prices and as consumers become more concerned with the environment. Toyota said it was struggling to keep up with booming demand for its hybrid vehicles because it was unable to make enough batteries. Hybrid vehicles, such as Toyota's top-selling Prius, switch between a petrol engine and electric motor. Toyota Motor Corp's executive vice president, Takeshi Uchiyamada, told the Associated Press that new battery production lines couldn not be added until next year. "Hybrids are selling so well we are doing all we can to increase production," he said. "We need new lines." Volkswagen, Europe's biggest car maker said on Monday it wanted to produce a Golf which consumed three to four litres of petrol per 100 kilometres compared with 4.3 litres currently for the most fuel-efficient model. "In the next few years, we are not going to do without petrol and diesel motors, but the future belongs to the electric car," VW chairman Martin Winterkorn told German newspaper Bild-Zeitung. Source bbc.co.uk ecocarforum.com - Green Car Network Community for sustainable transport
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Written on: 16. 06. 08 [18:27]
Lensman registered since: 31.05.2008 Posts: 81	I'd be interested to learn what kind of technology is used to store the hydrogen in the cars, and how the hydrogen is generated to be dispensed at the fueling station. Various articles I've read have strongly suggested-- or flat-out stated-- that hydrogen power will be much harder and more expensive to achieve than all-electric vehicles. But I'm certainly willing to be convinced this is incorrect, if the technology is there and if it can be made economically competitive to generate hydrogen.
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Written on: 17. 06. 08 [06:46]
childress registered since: 14.08.2007 Posts: 81	Hydrogen does not have the energy density that gasoline has, so not only do you have the problems with obtaining/generating the hydrogen, but it also must be compressed to many times atmospheric levels in order to achieve the mileage of an equivalent petrol car. Further, unlike an EV such as the Twike that hash an onboard charging system that you can plug into any household socket (eg the refueling infrastructure is already in place -- there are more potential charging spots than there are gas stations -- most people call 'em houses), the Fuel Cell car requires that you have the infrastructure... For example, a small fuel cell mounted on a mountain bike (termed the HydroCycle) made by NoVars / Manhattan Scientifics had a hydrogen canister that was at around 300psi. As a bicyclist I can tell you that when a 80-100 psi tube blows it's deafening... no matter what gas (flamable/combustable or no) that you put under that much pressure, it's gonna make a very big bang in an accident if the containment vessel is breached. The fuel cell apparatus itself also ran very warm, bordering on hot. It raises the question 'what if I run the car out of hydrogen'? Is there an equivalent to a 'gas can' that I can have somebody take me to the hydrogen station and buy for $5, fill with a couple of gallons of H2 to get me home? Probably not if you have to have high compression. From a usability standpoint these are very big questions that need to be answered for the average user. Obligatory disclaimer, I own about 1,000 next-to-worthless shares in MHTX - Manhattan Scientifics [This article was edited 1 times, at last 17.06.2008 at 21:49.] Commute suck? Twike it; You'll like it! http://www.uiuc.edu/goto/twike
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