Honda
Motor Co., Ltd. today announced a fuel cell-powered vehicle, the FCX-V3, that
will be sent to participate in the California Fuel Cell Partnership program
(CaFCP) scheduled to begin in November 2000. Honda has been considering public
road testing to verify the potential fuel cell vehicle market in Japan and the
United States, and participation in the general road testing being implemented
by the CaFCP in the U.S. state of California will serve as a first step toward
bringing the company’s fuel cell vehicle research into the market feasibility
study stage.
The California Fuel Cell
Partnership is a joint-participation project that brings together the California
Air Resources Board (CARB), private petroleum concerns, auto manufacturers,
and fuel cell stack manufacturers in order to study and verify the future prospects,
infrastructural requirements, mass production issues, and other facets related
to the eventual introduction and promotion of fuel cell vehicles. Honda is in
fundamental agreement with the future-oriented goals and approaches being undertaken
by the CaFCP, and the company plans to participate in running tests designed
to study the market feasibility of fuel cell-powered vehicles.
Go deeper with GlobalData
In the fuel cell-powered
FCX-V3 Honda has realized a fuel cell system with integrated control systems,
a more compact drive motor, and a cabin large enough to seat four people. The
vehicle also features improved startup and quieter operation than previous versions
for improved viability as a commercial product. Its powerplant includes a Ballard
Power Systems fuel cell stack, fueled by hydrogen stored under high pressure,
combined with a newly developed ultra-capacitor. The excellent continuous electric
power generation of the fuel cell stack and the powerful, instantaneous discharge
capabilities of the ultra-capacitor have been combined to realize a fuel cell-based
powerplant offering much-improved takeoff and acceleration performance. In addition,
regenerative energy systems, reduction of discharge loss, and other measures
have also been integrated to contribute to improve fuel economy and achieve
highly efficient energy management.
The FCX-V3 is the latest
in a long line of vehicles that Honda has actively developed to reduce the burden
cars place on the earth’s environment through low emissions, high efficiency,
and/or the use of alternative fuels. The FCX-V3 incorporates many of the elemental
technologies Honda has cultivated over the years for use in these vehicles,
for example the motor drive technologies developed for the company’s EV
Plus electric car, the energy management systems used in the Insight hybrid
car, and the high-pressure gas storage tank technologies developed for the natural
gas-powered Civic GX car. Further, regarding the fuel cell stacks that are such
an important element in fuel cell vehicle technology, Honda is actively engaged
in independent research and development of a Honda-made stack.
FCX-V3 System Layout
(Conceptual)
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By GlobalDataFCX-V3 Specifications
| Complete Car | Maximum Travel Speed |
130km/h |
|
Vehicle
Weight |
1,750kg | |
| Motor | Maximum Power Output |
60kW |
|
Maximum
Drive Torque |
238Nm | |
|
Motor
Type |
Permanent magnet AC synchronous |
|
| Fuel CellStack |
Stack Type | PEFC (solid high-polymer type) (Ballard) |
|
Power
Output |
62kW | |
| Fuel | Fuel Type | Pure hydrogen |
|
Storage
Method |
High-pressure hydrogen storage tank (250 atmospheres) |
|
|
Fuel
Capacity |
100 liters | |
