Honda's latest fuel-cell car will be a very limited edition
Fewer than 100 coming to USA, but that's lots more than now
By James R. Healey
USA TODAY - Oct. 24, 2007
TOCHIGI, Japan — Honda will deliver fewer than 100 of its new fuel-cell cars next year when they're scheduled for introduction in the USA, the automaker's top executive said Tuesday at the company's research and development headquarters here.
Though a small number, it is several times as many FCX hydrogen fuel-cell sedans as the automaker currently has in the USA. Two of those are in the hands of individuals, and 20 are in fleet service by governments and other institutions.
In contrast, most of the 2008 FCX models will go to individuals, Honda says.
A minority will be reserved for fleet use, needed so that Honda can gather information and feedback quickly because fleet users run up miles faster than families and individual drivers do.
"We have not really decided on the number of cars yet," Honda CEO Takeo Fukui said. "It will be several 10s; under 100." The cars, which cost Honda hundreds of thousands of dollars each, will be leased rather than sold outright, the same arrangement as with the current FCX. The current model is leased for $500 a month. Honda hasn't said what the price of the 2008 version will be.
Fukui spoke in advance of the biennial Tokyo Motor Show, which has press preview days this week. The show opens to the public Saturday and runs through Nov. 11.
Honda likes to point out that its fuel-cell cars are certified to meet all U.S. safety and pollution regulations, while most rivals' small fleets of fuel-cell cars aren't certified and are used only for extended testing.
Honda has shrunk the size of the fuel cell and associated hardware, allowing the 2008 model to be sleek, instead of the boxy, upright look of the FCX currently in service.
Fuel-cell cars are seen as a way to avoid the pollution of petroleum-fuel vehicles because they are electric vehicles. They use no gasoline or diesel engines.
They are fueled by hydrogen gas, pressurized at 5,000 to 10,000 pounds per square inch in robust tanks on the vehicles. The hydrogen gas and air are passed through a membrane in the fuel cell, creating an electrochemical reaction that produces electricity to run the vehicle's motor. Water vapor is the only exhaust. A battery pack stores some of the electricity to be sure there's plenty of juice for acceleration and other demanding use.
Hydrogen is plentiful. But getting it loose to use as fuel isn't easy. Most of it — 95%, says Ben Knight, Honda's vice president for research and development in America — comes from natural gas, the same fuel that heats most U.S. homes. The USA has roughly 3% of the world's natural gas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Big players: Russia (27%), Iran (16%) and Qatar (15%).
In wide-ranging comments on alternative energy and future Honda products, Fukui also said:
•Honda — already planning four-cylinder diesel engines in the USA in 2009, probably in the Accord sedan — also will produce V-6 diesels for its truck models, a designation that includes the Odyssey minivan, Pilot SUV and Ridgeline midsize pickup.
Fukui didn't specify which would get the V-6 diesel but did say the four-cylinder diesel "does not provide enough power for light trucks, so we are developing a V-6 diesel as well."
Honda previously has mentioned the V-6, but — until Fukui's comments— hadn't said which vehicles it could power.
The European-market Accord already has a diesel. And prototype, U.S.-specification diesel engines that Honda provided for test drives were installed in Accords.
•A replacement for the discontinued Acura NSX high-performance sports car will have its V-10 gasoline engine in front and will use all-wheel drive, Fukui said. That's a big change. The previous NSX had a V-6 that was mounted transversely in the center of the car, behind the driver and in front of the rear wheels, and it powered the rear wheels only.
The NSX replacement is due within two years, Acura says.
Fukui said Honda hopes the new layout will give the company insight into the potential for use in other high-power models, such as the eventual replacement for the Acura RL.
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Print | posted on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 1:48 PM