Honda to Minimize Fuel Cell Stack and Hydrogen Station

Everybody knows that fuel cell vehicle is the ultimate in ecological motor cars with no Co2 emission but that the cell is much too space-taking and charging stations too scarce.

Now, Honda offers solutions to both stumbling blocks: a new 5-passenger FCV model mounting a small fuel cell stack ready to market next spring and a unique small-size hydrogen station that costs 1/10 the conventional one to install. Both are cutting-edge technology that opens a path to a hydrogen society.

Honda R & D, Co., Ltd. made public October 24 the structure of the new FCV Clarity Fuel Cell. Most crucial are its size and location, the trunk part where hydrogen and oxygen interact to produce electricity - the heart of FCV, so to say.

This is the world's first sedan of its kind designed for mass production. The entire driving mechanism with fuel cell stack included is stored within the hood with enough space for 5 passengers and 3 golf bags.

The prototype FCV built in 2002 had an FCV stack big enough to occupy the entire rear seat allowing space only for 1 passenger.

In 2008, the first-generation FCV Clarity for 4 passengers was leased out. The new fuel cell stack is 33% smaller than that mounted on that model. A total of 400 cells in the stack generate electricity. Each cell is 20% thinner and the power output per unit area is 1.5 times larger.

The per-liter output of the fuel cell stack is up by 60% to 3.1 kilowatts.

Honda's hydrogen station "Smart Hydrogen Station" (SHS) was installed in September, 2014. It's about the size of a 10-ft container with a space area of 7.5 square meters, about 1/20 to 1/30 of the conventional commercial station, capable of storing  19 kilograms of hydrogen enough to run 4.5 FCVs.

Honda plans to market FCVs at prices equivalent to those of hybrid vehicles by 2025 and install SHS in every household.