Honda FCX

Honda FCX
Production period:	since 1999
Class :	Compact class (1999 + 2005) Small car (1999-2005) Middle class (from 2007)
Body versions :	Limousine , station wagon

The Japanese company Honda has been developing and selling a range of fuel cell vehicles under the name Honda FCX since 1990 . From 1999 to 2001 four different versions of the FCX based on the Honda EV were presented. A small series of improved fuel cells was then launched, which from 2003 to 2006 were leased to various government organizations and companies as well as two private individuals in California and Japan.

With the FCX Concept 2005 , Honda presented a vehicle specially designed for the fuel cell, which, with the FCX Clarity presented in 2007, was ready for small series production and could be leased in the USA and Japan from 2008.

In 2015, Honda presented the Clarity Fuel Cell, a drive-train improved successor model that has also been sold as a plug-in hybrid and electric car since autumn 2017 .

FCX

FCX
Version 2005 (leased from Idemitsu)
Production period:	1999-2005
Body versions :	Station wagon
Engines:	Electric motors : 49–95 kW
Length:	4165 mm
Width:	1760 mm
Height:	1645 mm
Wheelbase :	2530 mm
Empty weight :	1620 kg

The FCX was a two-door, four-seater small car based on an earlier, battery-operated electric vehicle, the Honda EV plus. Since 2000, gaseous hydrogen has served as fuel , which in version 3 was stored in pressure vessels at a pressure of 250 bar and in all subsequent versions at a pressure of 350 bar. With the last versions a range of 430 km could be achieved.

While earlier versions of the FCX used fuel cell units from Ballard Power Systems , later versions were developed by Honda. As a special technical feature, these PEMFC had pressed metal bipolar plates instead of the usual carbon structures. The use of aromatic membranes also enabled cold starts down to −20 ° C.

Instead of the usual accumulator , the Honda FCX used a high-performance capacitor unit (" supercaps ") behind the back seat as temporary storage .

The following table shows the data for the various FCX versions:

version	year	fuel	Fuel cell manufacturer	Fuel cell performance	Engine power
V1	1999	hydrogen	Ballard	60 kW	49 kW
V2	1999	Methanol	Honda	60 kW	49 kW
V3 a	2000	hydrogen	Ballard	75 kW	60 kW
V3 b	2000	hydrogen	Honda	70 kW	60 kW
V4	2001	hydrogen	Ballard	78 kW	60 kW
Small series a	2002-2004	hydrogen	Ballard	78 kW	60 kW
Small series b	2004-2005	hydrogen	Honda	86 kW	95 kW

In order to gain valuable practical experience for the development of fuel cell drive technology , Honda offered selected companies, cities and government organizations the opportunity to lease FCX vehicles. These were the companies Iwatani and Idemitsu in Japan, the cities of Los Angeles , San Francisco , Chula Vista , Las Vegas in the USA, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, SCAQMD in California and the Hokkaido prefecture in Japan. In June 2005, the FCX was also offered to private customers for the first time for a leasing rate of US $ 500 per month. The first private vehicle was delivered to Redondo Beach, California .

FCX concept

FCX Concept

Production period:	1999
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Electric motor : 49 kW
Length:	4525 mm
Width:	1800 mm
Height:	1500 mm
Wheelbase :	2815 mm
Empty weight :

In November 1999, Honda presented its first fuel cell vehicle at the Tokyo Motor Show . Methanol served as fuel . The fuel cell and the reformer were developed by Honda itself.

FCX Concept 2005

FCX Concept 2005

Production period:	since 2005
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Electric motor : 150 kW
Length:	4470 mm
Width:	1865 mm
Height:	1485 mm
Wheelbase :	2900 mm
Empty weight :

Honda presented the FCX Concept 2005 at the Tokyo Motor Show 2005. This vehicle was also shown at the Detroit Auto Show in spring 2006. This concept study was to be produced in series within three to four years with minor conceptual changes. It is a four-door and four-seater notchback sedan with an extreme cab-forward design. Since no existing vehicle has been modified for fuel cell use, but has been developed from scratch, there are some technical features:

The front axle is driven by a 100 kW electric motor with differential, but the rear axle is driven by 2 wheel hub motors each having an output of 25 kW

Accommodation of the fuel cell unit in the center tunnel

Compressed gas hydrogen tank in the rear, 178 liters with 350 bar for a range according to Honda calculations of 560 km

Air intake via opening on the left rear (next to the bumper)

Battery voltage of the lithium-ion battery: 300 V.

FCX Concept 2005, wheel hub motor
Arrangement of the fuel cell technology
inner space

FCX Clarity

FCX Clarity
Honda FCX Fuel Cell Clarity, Hannover Messe 2013
Production period:	2007-2014
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Electric motor : 100 kW
Length:	4830 mm
Width:	1850 mm
Height:	1470 mm
Wheelbase :	2800 mm
Empty weight :	1625 kg

In November 2007, Honda showed the production version at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. Series production started in June 2008. Production takes place in the former NSX plant in Utsunomiya.

The series version differs from the FCX Concept 2005 in the following points:

Body less futuristic
Lithium-ion accumulator instead of high-performance capacitors
Front engine with 100 kW instead of the three-engine concept

From a standing start, the Clarity reaches 100 km / h within 9 seconds. Its top speed is given as 161 km / h. The maximum torque is 256 Nm at 0-3056 min ^-1 .

FCX Clarity, front view
Rear view
dashboard

Initially, the Clarity was offered at a monthly leasing rate of US $ 600 (about 400 EUR) exclusively in California and the plan was to produce about 200 vehicles by 2011; less than 100 vehicles are said to have been built.

Clarity

Clarity Fuel Cell
Honda Clarity Fuel Cell (since 2016)
Production period:	since 2016
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Otto engine : 1.5 liters (77 kW) + electric motor : 135 kW Electric motor : 120–130 kW
Length:	4895 mm
Width:	1875 mm
Height:	1475 mm
Wheelbase :	2750 mm
Empty weight :	1875 kg

Rear view

After the previous model was taken off the market in 2014, Honda presented the successor model Clarity Fuel Cell at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show in October 2015 . The vehicle is the world's first series model of a sedan in which the entire drive train with fuel cell is completely housed in the engine compartment. This was made possible by using thinner membranes; after the cell output could be increased by 50 percent, the number could be reduced. Honda cites a volume saving of a third for the entire drive unit; the drive unit does not require more installation space than a conventional V6 engine. It works with 500 volts, a turbo compressor with two chargers presses air into the fuel cell.

The chassis of the Clarity has a multi-link axle at the rear .

For the body, which has air ducts ("air curtains") at the rear, high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels as well as aluminum and composite materials are used.

distribution

The fuel cell vehicle has been available in Japan since March 2016, and the Californian market followed in December 2016. Initially, only ten vehicles will be coming to Europe, which will be given to families every two months as part of the HiFive project. All driving data and usage profiles are recorded.

In 2018, 624 of the 2,330 hydrogen cars sold in the United States were Honda Clarity Fuel Cell.

Technical specifications

With a range of 366 miles (589 kilometers), the Clarity Fuel Cell is the vehicle with the longest range of any zero emission vehicle in the United States, according to the EPA . The 130 kW (177 PS) electric motor accelerates the sedan to 100 km / h in nine seconds and the top speed is 165 km / h.

Parameters	Fuel cell
Construction period	since 03/2016
Engine characteristics
Engine type	Electric motor
Max. power	130 kW (177 hp) at 4501–9028 rpm
Max. Torque	300 Nm at 0-3500 rpm
Power transmission
Drive, as standard	Front wheel drive
Gearbox, as standard	Stepless transmission
Readings
Top speed	165 km / h (governed)
Acceleration, 0-100 km / h	9.0 s
Empty weight	1875 kg
Hydrogen consumption over 100 km (combined)	0.77 kg
Range according to NEDC	650 km
Range according to EPA	366 miles

Clarity PHEV and Clarity EV

At NYIAS in April 2017, Honda presented the Clarity PHEV and Clarity EV, the vehicle as a plug-in hybrid and a purely electric car . In the plug-in hybrid, a 77 kW (105 PS) 1.5-liter four-cylinder petrol engine is combined with a 135 kW (184 PS) electric motor. The purely electric range is 68 kilometers. The Clarity EV is powered by a 120 kW (163 PS) electric motor.

At the end of 2019, Honda ended production of the Clarity EV .

Honda Clarity PHEV (since 2018)
Rear view

Web links

Commons : Honda FCX - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Wikinews: Honda starts series production of the “FCX Clarity” hydrogen car - news

Honda FCX Concept 2005 , information about the FCX fuel cell car
"Honda tests cold-resistant fuel cell vehicles" , Ulrich Dewald, Fuel Cell Initiative, December 23, 2004
Honda information page
Fuel cell vehicles with information
New Honda Clarity 2015 at spiegel.de, added April 29, 2016

Individual evidence

↑ FCX Prototype. "World News". honda.com ( Honda ), accessed July 17, 2018 .
↑ Only water vapor comes out of this car. Agency report. welt.de ( Die Welt ), June 16, 2008, accessed on July 17, 2018 .
↑ Frisch cell. Auto Motor und Sport , edition 15/2008.
↑ ^a ^b ^c spiegel.de of April 18, 2016, New Honda Clarity 2015 , accessed on September 25, 2019.
↑ Honda unveils Clarity Fuel Cell at Tokyo Motor Show 2015. honda.de ( Honda ), October 28, 2015, accessed on July 16, 2018 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c Michael Specht: Honda's fuel cell car drives so well. firmenauto.com, May 10, 2017, accessed July 17, 2018 .
↑ ^a ^b auto-motor-und-sport.de of July 6, 2018, The expensive alternative to pure electric drives , accessed on September 25, 2019.
↑ autozeitung.de of February 15, 2019, Fuel Cell Pioneers in a Duel , accessed on September 25, 2019.
↑ Sales start of the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell in Japan. honda.de ( Honda ), March 16, 2016, accessed on July 17, 2018 .
↑ Southern California customers take delivery of new 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell sedan. December 16, 2016, accessed July 17, 2018 .
↑ Mark Kane: Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Sales In US Just 2,300 In 2018. In: News> Sales. InsideEVs, January 27, 2019, accessed September 25, 2019 .
↑ Caled Jacobs: Honda Clarity EV and Plug-In Hybrid Unveiled at New York Auto Show. April 12, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2018 .
↑ Uli Baumann: New drive versions for the eco model. April 13, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2018 .
↑ Uli Baumann: Discontinued models: These cars have left us. In: auto-motor-und-sport.de. March 14, 2020, accessed March 14, 2020 .

[motor-show-1] FCX Prototype. "World News". honda.com ( Honda ), accessed July 17, 2018 .

[welt-2] Only water vapor comes out of this car. Agency report. welt.de ( Die Welt ), June 16, 2008, accessed on July 17, 2018 .

[3] Frisch cell. Auto Motor und Sport , edition 15/2008.

[Spiegel-2016-4] spiegel.de of April 18, 2016, New Honda Clarity 2015 , accessed on September 25, 2019.

[hondanews0-5] Honda unveils Clarity Fuel Cell at Tokyo Motor Show 2015. honda.de ( Honda ), October 28, 2015, accessed on July 16, 2018 .

[firmenauto-6] Michael Specht: Honda's fuel cell car drives so well. firmenauto.com, May 10, 2017, accessed July 17, 2018 .

[ams-2018-07-7] uto-motor-und-sport.de of July 6, 2018, The expensive alternative to pure electric drives , accessed on September 25, 2019.

[8] utozeitung.de of February 15, 2019, Fuel Cell Pioneers in a Duel , accessed on September 25, 2019.

[hondanews1-9] Sales start of the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell in Japan. honda.de ( Honda ), March 16, 2016, accessed on July 17, 2018 .

[congress-10] Southern California customers take delivery of new 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell sedan. December 16, 2016, accessed July 17, 2018 .

[11] Mark Kane: Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Sales In US Just 2,300 In 2018. In: News> Sales. InsideEVs, January 27, 2019, accessed September 25, 2019 .

[thedrive-12] Caled Jacobs: Honda Clarity EV and Plug-In Hybrid Unveiled at New York Auto Show. April 12, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2018 .

[amus2017-13] Uli Baumann: New drive versions for the eco model. April 13, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2018 .

[auto-mot-Auslaufm-14] Uli Baumann: Discontinued models: These cars have left us. In: auto-motor-und-sport.de. March 14, 2020, accessed March 14, 2020 .