If you were to ask us about the future of alternative fuel, our money will be on hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles. Why? The reasons are obvious. it can be topped to full in a few minutes in hydrogen stations and it could a long way per refill, if not more than the current gas-drinking variants. Those are good enough reasons for automakers like Daimler, Toyota and Honda to justify devoting the time and money into this technology and make it work, and make it work they did, or at least, Honda already did. The Japanese automaker has unveiled an all-new fuel cell concept car, simply dubbed as FCV Concept, which will be the base for the eventual production model that’s scheduled to hit the market in Japan by end of March 2016, followed by U.S. and EU markets.
FCV Concept is certainly not the first fuel cell vehicle to come from the Minato, Tokyo-based car maker. In fact, the company has been pursuing this wonder zero-emission technology as far back as the 80s and in 2002, its first fuel cell vehicle, FCX, had the honored to be the first fuel-cell powered ride to be certified by the US EPA and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Subsequently it began lease sales in both Japan and the U.S. Anywho, the all-new FCV is described as a concept car for Honda’s next-generation FCV, a successor to the FCX Clarity that when on lease sales in 2008, and will be one that your money can buy.
From between then and now, Honda has made huge progress in the area of fuel cell technology, and the FCV now features a newly-developed fuel-cell stack that’s 33 percent smaller than its predecessor and makes over 100 kW (134 horsepower), which Honda says pushes its overall performance to the north by around 60 percent compared to the previous fuel cell stack. It will also be the first of its kind to have the entire powertrain, including the all-new fuel cell stack, all stuff under the hood like most of today’s vehicle. The result is profound as it allows a full cabin layout good for five pax and also paves way for implementation on other models in the future.
What’s more impressive is the FCV Concept’s 70MPa high-pressure hydrogen storage tank which Honda claims capable of making over 435 miles (700 kilometers) and it only needs around three minutes to refill to the brim. Additionally, this latest fuel cell concept vehicle from Honda also boast an external power feeding function which, when combined with Power Exporter Concept (basically, a small mobile generator), will be able to produce electricity in the event of a disaster. Like Toyota, Honda will be pushing for the implementation of hydrogen station, but more specifically, for the adoption of the firm’s high-differential pressure electrolyser. So, are you ready for the future of zero-emission transportation?
