The FCX achieves the equivalent of 68 mpg from its hydrogen fuel cell. Since a kilogram of gaseous hydrogen fuel is roughly equivalent to a gallon of gasoline, this Honda's 4.1-kg tank delivers a cruising range of 270 miles with 0.2 kg of fuel in reserve.

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.

You may not immediately link the Honda FCX Clarity Fuel Cell to indy car racing, but Honda have found a way. Since 2007 IRL IndyCar series racers have been using 100% ethanol fuel, a fuel with a low environmental impact, while the Honda FCX Clarity runs on hydrogen and emits just water.

During the third race of the 2008 IRL IndyCar Series at the Twin Ring Motegi track in Tochigi, Japan the FCX Clarity will pace the 18 race cars at the start. The Honda FCX will do this using its 100kW Honda V Flow fuel cell stack which should be capable of about 160 km/h tops.

The FCX Clarity is, for now, a Sourthern California only car and debuted at the 2007 LA Auto Show. Maybe that this event kick off the FCX' global conquest.

July 2, 2008

TOKYO, Japan, July 2, 2008– Honda Motor Co., Ltd. unveiled the Japan model of its FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle, which will also be displayed at the Environmental Showcase at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit that begins July 7, 2008. Leasing in Japan is scheduled to begin November 2008.

Initially, leases are to be limited to government agencies and certain corporate customers. Numerous FCX Clarity events are to be held beginning in 2009 at which the public will have the opportunity to come in contact with the FCX Clarity and gain a greater appreciation of the appeal of fuel cell vehicles.

Designed as a dedicated fuel cell vehicle, the FCX Clarity is powered by the Honda V Flow fuel cell stack. Thanks to the innovative layout of the fuel cell power plant, the FCX Clarity offers superior design, packaging and driving performance. Emitting no CO2 in operation, the FCX Clarity offers not only the ultimate in environmental responsibility but also real-world performance and appeal.

The new lightweight, compact Honda V Flow fuel cell stack offers significantly enhanced performance, with an output of 100kW (compared to 86kW in the conventional FC Stack), as well as enhanced cold climate performance that enables it to start in temperatures as low as -30°C. The lightweight and compact design of the FC Stack allows it to be arranged in the vehicle's center tunnel for a more spacious interior and an elegant, low-riding sedan form. Cruising range has been extended 30% to 620km.* The Japan model also features climate-controlled seats in the rear as well as in the front.
* In 10-15 mode (Honda Calculations)

The combined sales plan for Japan and U.S. calls for a few dozen units a year and about 200 units within three years.

< New Technology > · Honda Bio-Fabric: the world's first automotive interior covering made from plant-based materials
· Climate-controlled seats (front and rear)
· Compact, easy-to-operate transmission featuring Shift-by-Wire technology (a first for Honda)
· An extra rear window that enhances rearward visibility—privacy is maintained thanks to a layer of polycarbonate film that conceals the trunk room

FCX Clarity: Principal Specifications (Japan model) Number of occupants 4
Power train Motor Max. output 100kW
Max. torque 256N·m
Type AC synchronous electric motor
(permanent magnet)
Fuel cell stack Type PEMFC
(Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell)
Max. output 100kW
Lithium ion battery Voltage 288V
Fuel Type Compressed hydrogen
Storage Pressurized hydrogen tank
(35MPa)
Tank capacity 171 liters
Dimensions (L × W × H) 4,835 × 1,845 × 1,470mm
Vehicle weight 1,635kg
Maximum speed 160km/ h
Energy storage Lithium ion battery

Ken Thomas
Associated press


Oct 17, 2008

WASHINGTON–For years, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been the far-off technological bets of the auto industry – the car that holds the promise of gasoline-free driving.

Honda Motor Co. is starting to give a small number of drivers a glimpse into the future.

The Honda FCX Clarity debuted in July, and the automaker is leasing about 200 of the cars to customers in Southern California during the next three years. Tens of thousands of car enthusiasts have applied to be among the first to lease – and for good reason.

Stylish and smooth, the Clarity opens a window into the possible: the combination of environmental responsibility and zero emissions with a fun, hip ride.

If only refuelling was a matter of pulling into the nearest filling station.

The Clarity is emerging at a difficult stretch for the auto industry, a year in which sales have been choked by a battered economy and a major credit crunch. So it might be easy to shrug it off as another advanced vehicle relegated to auto shows and the garages of the super rich.

As with any hydrogen car, there are caveats galore. Finding a hydrogen fuelling station can be like getting a car loan with lousy credit these days. And most hydrogen is extracted from natural gas, releasing carbon dioxide and undercutting the emissions-free argument.

Honda's marketing of the car may also draw some skepticism. The company is offering three-year leases to a select few for $600 a month, which includes maintenance and collision coverage. Actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her husband, filmmaker Christopher Guest, have one. Other Clarity pioneers include Actress Laura Harris and Little Miss Sunshine producer Ron Yerxa, making it easy to dismiss the car as a Hollywood publicity stunt.

But on its merits, the Clarity delivers. It offers quiet, steady acceleration, high torque and a 450-kilometre range, allowing the driver to enjoy the ride instead of worrying about finding the next refill.

Previous generations of Honda's fuel cell vehicles have resembled futuristic econoboxes – small, workmanlike and unpractical. The latest version is more refined, helped by a smaller and lighter fuel cell stack that is more easily packaged into a sedan. (The Clarity is about 10 cm shorter than a Honda Accord.)

In the fuel cell, hydrogen is combined with oxygen to generate electricity that powers the vehicle's motor. The water vapour that's produced exits through the tailpipe. The Clarity has a backup 288-volt lithium-ion battery pack, recharged by the car's deceleration, to provide more power when needed.

The cockpit is fun and innovative. The start button next to the center console starts the fuel cell stack. The display in the dashboard includes a dot that changes color and size as your hydrogen consumption grows, making it easy to monitor mileage.

A meter display on the dashboard charts battery levels and motor output. The speedometer was wisely placed above the cockpit display, in your sight line, to keep your eyes on the road. The interior is covered with plant-based fabrics.

The compressor that supplies oxygen to the fuel cell makes a whining sound. While the whirls and lack of engine vibrations at stoplights may require some getting used to, the 134-horsepower electric motor, with 189 lb.-ft. of torque, offered smooth acceleration in city driving. On the highway, the Clarity easily surpassed 110 km/h without feeling compromised.

The Clarity's tank holds 4.1 kilograms (9 pounds) of compressed hydrogen, and the car gets about 123 km per kilogram in the city, 107 km per kilogram on the highway and 115 km per kilogram in combined driving. Honda says that equates to 2.97 L/100 km (79 miles per U.S. gallon) around town, 3.45 L/100 km (68 mpg) on the highway and about 3.17 L/100 km (74 mpg) overall.

Honda is leasing the Clarity to customers in the Los Angeles area because of the proximity to three 24-hours-a-day public hydrogen stations.

If I could lease a Clarity here in Washington, D.C., I would have to rely on one Shell Station, but the vehicle would offer savings compared with similar vehicles.

In Washington, hydrogen was selling for $8.18 (U.S.) per kilogram, meaning a driver would spend that much to travel 115 km in the Clarity. A four-cylinder Honda Accord with an automatic transmission gets 24 mpg (9.8 L/100 km) combined, so a driver would use three gallons of gasoline – spending about $3.30 a gallon, or almost $10 – to travel the same distance.

The lack of fuelling stations will limit the reach of these vehicles for many years, but Honda is working on a home-fill unit that would connect to a residential natural gas line, generating hydrogen for your vehicle and heat and electricity for your home. The automaker, like others in the industry, note that hydrogen could be produced abundantly from renewable sources like wind energy.

Beyond the refueling problems, the car has some quirks. Instead of a traditional gear selector, the car has a small electronic shifter near the steering wheel that was awkward to use. The rear window seemed to limit visibility.

As with any advanced vehicle, the car created a stir around town. Fellow drivers craned their necks to check out the car, and plenty of pedestrians furrowed their eyebrows, as if to say, "What is that?" When I turned around at a gas station in northern Virginia, where gas was selling for $3.89 a gallon at the time, a man in a Redskins jersey turned to his friends and pointed at the car, his mouth agape.

Honda has not released the cost, but the price is out of reach for typical car shoppers. With production limited to just hundreds, some analysts have estimated it would cost $200,000.

The Clarity, and any hydrogen fuel cell for that matter, has plenty of question marks and hurdles. But it gives us a sense of what lies ahead.

In an age of sluggish sales and tough times for the auto industry, the art of the possible may not mean much now. But the Clarity offers evidence that the futuristic advanced vehicles of tomorrow may be closer than we think.