Honda FCX Clarity (2009)

[andykhol23]

Honda FCX Clarity
Honda unveiled the FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show, announcing plans to begin limited retail marketing of the vehicle in summer 2008.




The FCX Clarity is a next-generation, zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle based on the 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 FCX Clarity is a shining symbol of the progress we've made with fuel cell vehicles and of our belief in the promise of this technology," said Tetsuo Iwamura, American Honda president and CEO. "Step by step, with continuous effort, commitment and focus, we are working to overcome obstacles to the mass-market potential of zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell automobiles."

American Honda plans to lease the FCX Clarity to a limited number of retail consumers in Southern California with the first deliveries taking place in summer 2008.

Full details of the lease program will be set closer to launch, but current plans call for a three-year lease term with a price of $600 per month, including maintenance and collision insurance. American Honda is also developing a service infrastructure that provides customers with the best balance of convenience and the highest quality of service. When the FCX Clarity requires periodic maintenance, customers will simply schedule a visit with their local Honda dealer. American Honda will transport the vehicle to their fuel cell service facility, located in the greater Los Angeles area, where all required work will be performed. At the completion of the work, the customer will pick up their car from the dealer.

How It Works

The FCX Clarity utilizes Honda's V Flow stack in combination with a new compact and efficient lithium ion battery pack and a single hydrogen storage tank to power the vehicle's electric drive motor. The fuel cell stack operates as the vehicle's main power source. Hydrogen combines with atmospheric oxygen in the fuel cell stack, where chemical energy from the reaction is converted into electric power used to propel the vehicle. Additional energy captured through regenerative braking and deceleration is stored in the lithium ion battery pack, and used to supplement power from the fuel cell, when needed. The vehicle's only emission is water.

Honda V Flow Fuel Cell Platform

The FCX Clarity's revolutionary new V Flow platform packages the ultra-compact, lightweight and powerful Honda V Flow fuel cell stack (65 percent smaller than the previous Honda FC stack) in the vehicle's center tunnel, between the two front seats. Taking advantage of a completely new cell configuration, the vertically-oriented stack achieves an output of 100 kilowatts (kW) (versus 86kW in the current Honda FC stack) with a 50 percent increase in output density by volume (67 percent by mass). Its compact size allows for a more spacious interior and more efficient packaging of other powertrain components, which would otherwise be unattainable in a sleek, low-slung sedan.

The FCX Clarity boasts numerous other significant advances in the performance and packaging of Honda fuel cell technology, compared to the current-generation FCX. These include:


a 20-percent increase in fuel economy - to the approximate equivalent of 68 mpg2 combined fuel economy (about 2-3 times the fuel economy of a gasoline-powered car, and 1.5 times that of a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle, of comparable size and performance);
a 30-percent increase in vehicle range - to 270 miles;
a 25-percent improvement in power-to-weight ratio, in part from an approximate 400-pound reduction in the fuel cell powertrain weight, for superior performance and efficiency despite a substantial increase in overall vehicle size;
a 45-percent reduction in the size of the fuel cell powertrain - nearly equivalent, in terms of volume, to a modern gas-electric hybrid powertrain;
an advanced new lithium-ion battery pack that is 40 percent lighter and 50 percent smaller than the current-generation FCX's ultra-capacitor; and
a single 5,000-psi hydrogen storage tank with 10 percent additional hydrogen capacity than the previous model.
FCX Clarity Design

More than just a fuel cell vehicle - the FCX Clarity speaks to Honda's vision of the future of automobile design and performance freed from the constraints of conventional powertrain technologies. The FCX Clarity's four-door sedan platform features a short-nose body and spacious cabin with comfortable accommodations for four people and their luggage. Major powertrain components - including the electric motor, fuel cell stack, battery pack and hydrogen tank - have been made more compact and are distributed throughout the vehicle to further optimize space, comfort and total vehicle performance.

Advanced Materials and Components

In keeping with its theme as an environmentally-advanced automobile, the FCX Clarity features seat upholstery and door linings made from Honda Bio-Fabric - a newly-developed, plant-based material that offers CO2 reductions as an alternative to traditional interior materials, along with outstanding durability and resistance to wear, stretching, and damage from sunlight.

Designed to appeal to forward-thinking customers seeking the ultimate in zero-emissions, alternative-fuel vehicle performance, the FCX Clarity is also equipped with a full compliment of advanced safety, comfort and convenience features, including a state-of-the-art navigation system with hydrogen station locations, backup camera, premium audio, climate-controlled seats and Bluetooth™ connectivity.

Other improvements, such as shift-by-wire, electric power steering (EPS), and a newly-designed instrument panel with an easy-to-read hydrogen fuel-consumption display, further improve its customer appeal and ease of operation.

CO2 Emissions

The FCX Clarity's only emission is water. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions come only from the production of hydrogen, which varies by source; however, well-to-wheel CO2 emissions using hydrogen reformed from natural gas - the most widely used method of production today - are less than half that of a conventional gasoline vehicle. With the production of hydrogen from water by electrolysis, CO2 emissions can be further reduced and ultimately approach zero if the electricity used for electrolysis is generated using solar, wind, water or nuclear power.

Honda has developed its own solar cells, with half of the CO2 emissions in the production stage compared to conventional crystalline silicon cells; and has begun mass-production and retail sales of this technology in Japan for both commercial and residential use.

[DeLa1Rob]

The styling of the car reminds me a bit of the Chrysler 300M.

robin

[shelbydude]

hydrogen...I dunno about that.

I head the new Prius is getting solar panels for the Ac though or something.

[bitzman]

Seriously, it is a stunningly attractive car for being so experimental in terms of drivetrain, but as with all things new, I am waiting to see how it performs on the tough bitsi, i.e. when it is 40 below zero in Minnesota or 122 def. F in Palm Springs. The temperature range in the US is so extreme that you have to build a car to work everywhere. Still, I applaud Honda for putting a fuel cell car on the road when Detroit automakers still seem to think their versions are off in the future

[Coralsnake]

Okay, I know I slow sometimes, what does the Honda have to due with Shelbys and musclecars?

[bitzman]

Nothing yet. but as car enthusiasts we have to be aware what the tree-huggers are doing lest they outlaw our toys. Shelby already has a hydrogen powered prototype Cobra (which an engineering student at UCR Riverside came up with) so he is already one step ahead of anyone outlawing kit cars on the basis of their carbon footprint. All we need to know about fuel cells is: how much to drop the drivetrain into a Cobra and will we be satisfied with a soundtrack of a Cobra piston engine (cued to raise in rpms as we step on the gas pedal) to make up for the probably wimpy sound of a fuel cell car.

[Coralsnake]

Oh, has anyone checked for Cobra postings on the hybred forum?

Has anyone else noticed that the tree huggers, that all profess to support the US workers are the ones buying these foreign cars and the US car companies are going bankrupt?

I want to vomit when I hear people say, "the cars are made in the US" . Hello -the profits are going to Japan.

Don't get me wrong, the unions and car companies have plenty of blame to go around for being greedy.

Wow, someones snake got up on the wrongside of the bed.

If I didn't know better, I would think Andykhol23 is not interested in Shelbys or Cobras at all. Especially, since all nine of his posts have been promoting another website.

This should not be a place for Audi and Honda ads. If it is, I am leaving. Anyone else agree?

[rtmc67shelby]

Originally Posted by Coralsnake

Oh, has anyone checked for Cobra postings on the hybred forum?

Has anyone else noticed that the tree huggers, that all profess to support the US workers are the ones buying these foreign cars and the US car companies are going bankrupt?

I want to vomit when I hear people say, "the cars are made in the US" . Hello -the profits are going to Japan.

Don't get me wrong, the unions and car companies have plenty of blame to go around for being greedy.

Wow, someones snake got up on the wrongside of the bed.

If I didn't know better, I would think Andykhol23 is not interested in Shelbys or Cobras at all. Especially, since all nine of his posts have been promoting another website.

This should not be a place for Audi and Honda ads. If it is, I am leaving. Anyone else agree?

ditto

[66GT350PS]

Shelby Licensing has had the rights to hydrogen powered 427 roadster Cobras for a number of years. I believe two power plants are available. Honda has prototypes of hydrogen fuel cell Home Energy Fuel Stations which can be powered by solor voltaic pannels. The system makes your fuel cell vehicle totally independent from big oil. The limitation on the fuel cell Cobra is distance due to fuel cell capacity and trunk area.

[TLEA]

Based on the number of miles vintage Shelbys and Cobras are driven each year I suspect they leave a smaller carbon footprint per vehicle capita than any other out there. Even with the new ones I had to laugh at the $1300 "gas guzzler" tax I had to pay on the 07. At $4 a gallon it will take 5 years to use $1300 of gas with the miles I drive it.

[steele138]

If this produces zero emmissions then clone the system put it in rentals taxis,fleet vehicles and for the mindless vanilla mass that drive cookie cutter commuter cars,emmissions go down as does gas demand we all win.
NOW let go back and dicuss Shelbys
Steele

[vernonestes]

Originally Posted by Coralsnake

Oh, has anyone checked for Cobra postings on the hybred forum?

Has anyone else noticed that the tree huggers, that all profess to support the US workers are the ones buying these foreign cars and the US car companies are going bankrupt?

I want to vomit when I hear people say, "the cars are made in the US" . Hello -the profits are going to Japan.

Don't get me wrong, the unions and car companies have plenty of blame to go around for being greedy.

Wow, someones snake got up on the wrongside of the bed.

If I didn't know better, I would think Andykhol23 is not interested in Shelbys or Cobras at all. Especially, since all nine of his posts have been promoting another website.

This should not be a place for Audi and Honda ads. If it is, I am leaving. Anyone else agree?

Things have been handled guys. Lets not go starting an uprising. God knows we dont need any of that, things in the hobby are about to improve greatly.
This will forever be a sight for shelby enthusiasts only!

Best Regards,
Vern

[Coralsnake]

Come on Vern, you never want to burn anyone at the stake anymore.

[rtmc67shelby]

string'em up

[vernonestes]

Originally Posted by Coralsnake

Come on Vern, you never want to burn anyone at the stake anymore.

I know, i guess im no fun anymore.......: laf:: laf:


Best Regards,
Vern

[67GT500#2100]

Originally Posted by Coralsnake

This should not be a place for Audi and Honda ads. If it is, I am leaving. Anyone else agree?

The redirect has been removed and, by the way this thread was posted in the Open Community Forum which is open to any and all discussions. Have you ever seen the topics that come up at other "car" sites in these areas? Nothing is out of bounce on a few.