This would be my first time seeing any 'live' footage of the FCX Clarity. Nice.
Showing posts with label 2009 Honda FCX Clarity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009 Honda FCX Clarity. Show all posts
Monday, August 3, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
First Drive: Honda FCX Clarity
A drive in the world’s most advanced fuel cell car
Vancouver, British Columbia – Unveiled in November, 2007 at the Los Angeles Auto show, the production version of the Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell car – yes, the production version – is now being leased to a limited number of “early adopters” in southern California - including some movie stars such as Jamie Lee Curtis - on a three-year lease for US$600 a month. Honda plans to have about 200 FCX Claritys on the road in the U.S. and Japan by 2011.
The Honda FCX Clarity is a (U.S.) street legal, zero-emissions, fuel cell-powered mid-size sedan that meets all current North American safety standards and performs much like a standard four-cylinder gasoline-engined car, according to Honda. One was recently driven from southern California to Vancouver as part of the Hydrogen Road Tour 2009, a promotional rally sponsored by various government and corporate entities interested in the promotion of hydrogen as an automotive fuel – you can read CanadianDriver’s coverage here. I was one of a group of eager journalists to get a brief test drive in the FCX Clarity last week.
Unlike most other fuel cell vehicles now being tested in small fleets, the FCX Clarity doesn’t make use of an existing vehicle bodystyle that is converted to a fuel cell vehicle. The FCX Clarity is a clean-sheet design engineered and designed around its fuel cell drive components. As a result, Honda was able to package the components in a way that permitted a roomy four-passenger interior, a spacious trunk, and an eye-catching aerodynamic exterior design.
Under that stylish exterior, the FCX Clarity’s fuel cell components include a high pressure (5000 psi) hydrogen tank behind the rear seat; a third-generation Honda fuel cell stack in the console between the driver and front passenger that generates a maximum 100 kilowatts of electricity; a 288-volt lithium-ion battery under the rear seat to store the electricity; a combined 100-kW electric drive motor/coaxial gearbox/power drive unit in the engine bay that propels the car with the equivalent of 134 horsepower and 189 ft-lbs of torque.
Essentially, the FCX Clarity is an electric car powered by a fuel cell assisted by a powerful battery, and it has some similarities to Honda’s gasoline-electric hybrid cars. Pressurized hydrogen gas is fed into the fuel cell where it’s combined with oxygen to create electricity (the only byproduct is water). The electricity flows to a 100-kW AC synchronous electric motor where it is directed by the Power Drive Unit (PDU) through a one-speed (plus Reverse) coaxial gearbox to the front wheels.
During start-up and acceleration, electricity from the lithium ion battery supplements power from the fuel cell and during deceleration, the electric motor acts as a generator to charge the battery. When cruising on the highway, the car operates on electricity from the fuel cell stack alone. When the FCX Clarity is stopped, an idle stop system shuts down the fuel cell stack, and the electricity needed for the power steering, power brakes, air conditioning and other power features is supplied by the battery.
The FCX Clarity has come a long way from the original Honda FCX fuel cell car introduced in 2002. That car was a boxy, two-door subcompact car with a fuel cell that weighed 202 kilograms and developed 60 kW of power, and couldn’t operate at sub-zero temperatures. The current FCX Clarity, by comparison, is a mid-size four-door sedan with a 100-kW fuel cell that weighs only 67 kg, is less than half the size of Honda’s original fuel cell, and can operate at temperatures down to minus 30 degrees Celsius.
On the road, the FCX Clarity drives much like a battery-electric car. Off-the-line throttle response is immediate because of the abundant low-end torque of 189 ft-lbs from 0 to 3000 r.p.m. courtesy of the lithium ion battery and electric motor. Under acceleration, there is a slight hissing sound from the fuel cell and a whine from the electric motor, but it’s much quieter overall than a gasoline engine. The single speed coaxial gearbox has no gear changes – power delivery is just a smooth, linear progression.
The FCX Clarity’s curb weight of 1624 kg (3582 lbs) is a little more than an Accord EX 4-cylinder sedan at 1550 kg (3417 lbs) but Honda says its acceleration times are comparable. According to the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), an Accord EX 4-cylinder goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.5 seconds. The FCX Clarity’s top speed is 160 km/h.
A maximum driving range of 385 kilometres is not as good as a conventional gasoline-engined car, but it is twice that of many battery-electric cars.
With a fully independent suspension (double wishbone front suspension, independent multi-link rear suspension), and a low, wide stance, the FCX Clarity handles and rides with stability and comfort and while it’s electric power rack and pinion steering doesn’t offer much feedback, the car’s tight turning diameter of just 10.8 metres (35.4 feet) allows tight turns and excellent manoeuvrability.
Fuel economy is measured in miles per kilogram of hydrogen (mile/kg-h2) and the FCX Clarity averages 68 miles/kg H2. But because we don’t know what a kilogram of hydrogen gas would cost at a hydrogen station of the future, it’s difficult to compare the fuel costs of gasoline vs hydrogen. Honda does say that the FCX Clarity’s fuel efficiency is up to three times that of a gasoline-powered automobile and two times that of a gasoline-powered hybrid vehicle.
It takes only five minutes to fill up the FCX Clarity’s pressurized gaseous hydrogen fuel tank. The time is comparable to a conventional gasoline car or hybrid and much better than a battery-electric car which usually requires from three to eight hours to recharge, depending on the charging system.
The FCX Clarity’s futuristic four-passenger interior design includes a single round illuminated gauge facing the driver with an H2 meter, a battery meter, a Power/Charge display, and a round ball in the centre of the display that changes size and colour depending on the driver’s mileage – blue is good, yellow is normal, and amber is poor. As in other Hondas, the speedometer is a digital readout on top of the dash. A Power button starts up the fuel cell after a key has been inserted, and a very small electronic gear shift lever to the right of the steering wheel lets the driver select a gear, which is indicated in the gauge display.
All the interior fabric coverings are made from corn and plant biomass “to help move away from petroleum-based resins and other synthetic fibres,” according to Honda. That includes the seats, armrests, console trays, carpeting, roof linings and trunk linings.
The silver-coloured centre stack protrudes aggressively into the cabin for easier reach of the controls, and the navigation system includes a location finder for the nearest hydrogen station. Headroom and legroom for all four occupants is generous, but my guess is that the rear centre console will eventually be replaced by a centre seat to make it a five-passenger sedan. The FCX Clarity’s trunk volume of 371 litres (13.1 cu. ft.) is almost as good as the Accord sedan with 397 litres (14.0 cu. ft.)
The FCX Clarity is arguably, the most advanced fuel cell car in the world. It’s stylish, practical, comfortable, safe, street-legal, and emissions-free. In April 2009, an international group of 59 independent automotive journalists from 25 countries named it “2009 World Green Car” from amongst 22 contenders.
Honda has proven that it can build a practical, safe and clean zero-emissions vehicle, and others will soon follow. The next step is for energy companies, governments and investors to finance and build a viable hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. That will be a challenge, but if Honda were to put CEOs and elected representatives behind the wheel of an FCX Clarity for a day, I think the chances would be much better.
Greg Wilson is a Vancouver-based automotive journalist and editor of CanadianDriver. He is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).
Source;
http://www.canadiandriver.com/2009/06/12/first-drive-honda-fcx-clarity.htm?page=all
Awesome review, check out the other pics on the link above!
Vancouver, British Columbia – Unveiled in November, 2007 at the Los Angeles Auto show, the production version of the Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell car – yes, the production version – is now being leased to a limited number of “early adopters” in southern California - including some movie stars such as Jamie Lee Curtis - on a three-year lease for US$600 a month. Honda plans to have about 200 FCX Claritys on the road in the U.S. and Japan by 2011.
The Honda FCX Clarity is a (U.S.) street legal, zero-emissions, fuel cell-powered mid-size sedan that meets all current North American safety standards and performs much like a standard four-cylinder gasoline-engined car, according to Honda. One was recently driven from southern California to Vancouver as part of the Hydrogen Road Tour 2009, a promotional rally sponsored by various government and corporate entities interested in the promotion of hydrogen as an automotive fuel – you can read CanadianDriver’s coverage here. I was one of a group of eager journalists to get a brief test drive in the FCX Clarity last week.
Unlike most other fuel cell vehicles now being tested in small fleets, the FCX Clarity doesn’t make use of an existing vehicle bodystyle that is converted to a fuel cell vehicle. The FCX Clarity is a clean-sheet design engineered and designed around its fuel cell drive components. As a result, Honda was able to package the components in a way that permitted a roomy four-passenger interior, a spacious trunk, and an eye-catching aerodynamic exterior design.
Under that stylish exterior, the FCX Clarity’s fuel cell components include a high pressure (5000 psi) hydrogen tank behind the rear seat; a third-generation Honda fuel cell stack in the console between the driver and front passenger that generates a maximum 100 kilowatts of electricity; a 288-volt lithium-ion battery under the rear seat to store the electricity; a combined 100-kW electric drive motor/coaxial gearbox/power drive unit in the engine bay that propels the car with the equivalent of 134 horsepower and 189 ft-lbs of torque.
Essentially, the FCX Clarity is an electric car powered by a fuel cell assisted by a powerful battery, and it has some similarities to Honda’s gasoline-electric hybrid cars. Pressurized hydrogen gas is fed into the fuel cell where it’s combined with oxygen to create electricity (the only byproduct is water). The electricity flows to a 100-kW AC synchronous electric motor where it is directed by the Power Drive Unit (PDU) through a one-speed (plus Reverse) coaxial gearbox to the front wheels.
During start-up and acceleration, electricity from the lithium ion battery supplements power from the fuel cell and during deceleration, the electric motor acts as a generator to charge the battery. When cruising on the highway, the car operates on electricity from the fuel cell stack alone. When the FCX Clarity is stopped, an idle stop system shuts down the fuel cell stack, and the electricity needed for the power steering, power brakes, air conditioning and other power features is supplied by the battery.
The FCX Clarity has come a long way from the original Honda FCX fuel cell car introduced in 2002. That car was a boxy, two-door subcompact car with a fuel cell that weighed 202 kilograms and developed 60 kW of power, and couldn’t operate at sub-zero temperatures. The current FCX Clarity, by comparison, is a mid-size four-door sedan with a 100-kW fuel cell that weighs only 67 kg, is less than half the size of Honda’s original fuel cell, and can operate at temperatures down to minus 30 degrees Celsius.
On the road, the FCX Clarity drives much like a battery-electric car. Off-the-line throttle response is immediate because of the abundant low-end torque of 189 ft-lbs from 0 to 3000 r.p.m. courtesy of the lithium ion battery and electric motor. Under acceleration, there is a slight hissing sound from the fuel cell and a whine from the electric motor, but it’s much quieter overall than a gasoline engine. The single speed coaxial gearbox has no gear changes – power delivery is just a smooth, linear progression.
The FCX Clarity’s curb weight of 1624 kg (3582 lbs) is a little more than an Accord EX 4-cylinder sedan at 1550 kg (3417 lbs) but Honda says its acceleration times are comparable. According to the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), an Accord EX 4-cylinder goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.5 seconds. The FCX Clarity’s top speed is 160 km/h.
A maximum driving range of 385 kilometres is not as good as a conventional gasoline-engined car, but it is twice that of many battery-electric cars.
With a fully independent suspension (double wishbone front suspension, independent multi-link rear suspension), and a low, wide stance, the FCX Clarity handles and rides with stability and comfort and while it’s electric power rack and pinion steering doesn’t offer much feedback, the car’s tight turning diameter of just 10.8 metres (35.4 feet) allows tight turns and excellent manoeuvrability.
Fuel economy is measured in miles per kilogram of hydrogen (mile/kg-h2) and the FCX Clarity averages 68 miles/kg H2. But because we don’t know what a kilogram of hydrogen gas would cost at a hydrogen station of the future, it’s difficult to compare the fuel costs of gasoline vs hydrogen. Honda does say that the FCX Clarity’s fuel efficiency is up to three times that of a gasoline-powered automobile and two times that of a gasoline-powered hybrid vehicle.
It takes only five minutes to fill up the FCX Clarity’s pressurized gaseous hydrogen fuel tank. The time is comparable to a conventional gasoline car or hybrid and much better than a battery-electric car which usually requires from three to eight hours to recharge, depending on the charging system.
The FCX Clarity’s futuristic four-passenger interior design includes a single round illuminated gauge facing the driver with an H2 meter, a battery meter, a Power/Charge display, and a round ball in the centre of the display that changes size and colour depending on the driver’s mileage – blue is good, yellow is normal, and amber is poor. As in other Hondas, the speedometer is a digital readout on top of the dash. A Power button starts up the fuel cell after a key has been inserted, and a very small electronic gear shift lever to the right of the steering wheel lets the driver select a gear, which is indicated in the gauge display.
All the interior fabric coverings are made from corn and plant biomass “to help move away from petroleum-based resins and other synthetic fibres,” according to Honda. That includes the seats, armrests, console trays, carpeting, roof linings and trunk linings.
The silver-coloured centre stack protrudes aggressively into the cabin for easier reach of the controls, and the navigation system includes a location finder for the nearest hydrogen station. Headroom and legroom for all four occupants is generous, but my guess is that the rear centre console will eventually be replaced by a centre seat to make it a five-passenger sedan. The FCX Clarity’s trunk volume of 371 litres (13.1 cu. ft.) is almost as good as the Accord sedan with 397 litres (14.0 cu. ft.)
The FCX Clarity is arguably, the most advanced fuel cell car in the world. It’s stylish, practical, comfortable, safe, street-legal, and emissions-free. In April 2009, an international group of 59 independent automotive journalists from 25 countries named it “2009 World Green Car” from amongst 22 contenders.
Honda has proven that it can build a practical, safe and clean zero-emissions vehicle, and others will soon follow. The next step is for energy companies, governments and investors to finance and build a viable hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. That will be a challenge, but if Honda were to put CEOs and elected representatives behind the wheel of an FCX Clarity for a day, I think the chances would be much better.
Greg Wilson is a Vancouver-based automotive journalist and editor of CanadianDriver. He is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).
Source;
http://www.canadiandriver.com/2009/06/12/first-drive-honda-fcx-clarity.htm?page=all
Awesome review, check out the other pics on the link above!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Schwarzenegger gives shout out to Honda, just like Obama's nod to Ford
I never thought I'd see the day that Arnold drove a Honda.... Strange times indeed!
On opposite coasts, two of the nation's best known political figures have been lauding their cars.
First, President Obama told Ford CEO Alan Mulally and a large gathering in the White House last week how much he misses the Ford he left behind in Chicago. It's still waiting for him, he said. “By the way, I just want to mention, I think I still have my Ford parked in Chicago. It’s a Ford hybrid. It runs great. You guys should take a look,” he was quoted by TheNew York Times as having said. Mulally "broke into a wide grin and pumped his fist enthusiastically."
Then yesterday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who happened to have been in the Rose Garden that day, gave his own shout out to Honda at an event in Los Angeles to promote hydrogen-powered vehicles. He praised a Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel-cell car that has been given to his family to try out."I just got the Clarity," he said. "We're all fighting over who is driving it." He said his daughter seemed most enthusastic about it.
A Honda spokesman, Kurt Antonius, said the car was loaned to the governor for a few days, but had since been returned.
That's Schwarzenegger in the photo at top at the event in front of the Clarity. The woman to his left is Clarity driver Q’orianka Kilcher, who starred as Pocahontas in the 2005 film The New World. She has become an advocate for fuel-cell cars.
Honda's CEO wasn't around for Schwarzenegger's nod, but it was pretty clear he would have pumped his fist as well.
Here's another well known celebrity that drives a Honda FCX Clarity.
Back in the day....
Source;
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/openroad/post/2009/05/67349725/1
On opposite coasts, two of the nation's best known political figures have been lauding their cars.First, President Obama told Ford CEO Alan Mulally and a large gathering in the White House last week how much he misses the Ford he left behind in Chicago. It's still waiting for him, he said. “By the way, I just want to mention, I think I still have my Ford parked in Chicago. It’s a Ford hybrid. It runs great. You guys should take a look,” he was quoted by TheNew York Times as having said. Mulally "broke into a wide grin and pumped his fist enthusiastically."
Then yesterday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who happened to have been in the Rose Garden that day, gave his own shout out to Honda at an event in Los Angeles to promote hydrogen-powered vehicles. He praised a Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel-cell car that has been given to his family to try out."I just got the Clarity," he said. "We're all fighting over who is driving it." He said his daughter seemed most enthusastic about it.
A Honda spokesman, Kurt Antonius, said the car was loaned to the governor for a few days, but had since been returned.
That's Schwarzenegger in the photo at top at the event in front of the Clarity. The woman to his left is Clarity driver Q’orianka Kilcher, who starred as Pocahontas in the 2005 film The New World. She has become an advocate for fuel-cell cars.
Honda's CEO wasn't around for Schwarzenegger's nod, but it was pretty clear he would have pumped his fist as well.
Here's another well known celebrity that drives a Honda FCX Clarity.Back in the day....Source;
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/openroad/post/2009/05/67349725/1
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Fuel cells finally staged to power the future, thanks to Honda's FCXClarity.
The fuel cell has long been viewed as pie-in-the-sky engineering - something to dream about, but having little chance of ever changing the world's dependence on fossil-based fuels. In the past couple of years, however, things have started to change. Big time.In the past, most fuel cells had a life cycle of around 1,500 hours (or approximately three years of normal use) before there is a noticeable decrease (15 per cent) in performance. The latest fuel cells address this shortcoming while accomplishing so much more.
For example, Kia's Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) program took a big step forward with the debut of the Borrego FCEV at last year's Los Angeles Auto Show. When compared to the 108 horsepower, fuel cell-powered Sportage I drove in 2007, the Borrego boasts a 44 per cent boost in power. The fuel cell and its 450-volt supercapacitor storage system is capable of putting 154 horsepower to the pavement while delivering a best-in-class system efficiency of 62 per cent. The upshot is a top speed of 160 km/h, a zero- to 100- km/h time of 12.8 seconds and a driving range of 680 kilometres from its 202-litre hydrogen tank.
As in life, it is usually the smallest of things that make the biggest difference - and it's usually a eureka moment that leads to the breakthrough. This is particularly true of the Honda FCX Clarity. In the FCX's case, the eureka moment came when Yozo Kami, executive chief engineer of the FCX, literally turned the fuel cell stack on its head.
In 1999, Honda's fuel cell was large (it needed 4.7 cubic feet to house it), weighed 202 kilograms and had an output of just 60 kilowatts. While the output had risen to 86 kW and the weight had dropped to 96 kg by 2003, size still represented a significant challenge - enough that it necessitated the use of a SUV-like vehicle to accommodate it. The FCX's V Flow (for vertical flow) fuel cell, introduced in 2007, is housed in a box about the size of a standard aircraft roll-on suitcase (1.9 cu. ft.), weighs just 67 kg and produces 100 kW of real-world power - a massive 50 per cent increase in the power-to-volume ratio.
The V Flow's other breakthrough seems so simple in hindsight. Conventional fuel cell stacks lie horizontally in the vehicle, which consumes valuable space. The V Flow stack stands vertically between the FCX's front seats. Reorienting the stack not only reduced its space requirement, it eliminated a major drawback: When the fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen (to produce electricity), it also produces water that needs to be drained. During the winter months, any water left within the fuel cell at shut down freezes which renders the fuel cell useless. The V Flow uses gravity to rid the cell of the water. This twist also allows the fuel cell to be started at -30 C, meaning it's capable of working just about anywhere in the world, including northern Canada.
To take the original FXC from concept to reality, Kami also needed a smaller electric drive motor and smaller battery pack. No problem. The FCX Clarity's coaxial electric motor is 162 millimetres narrower than its predecessor and by adopting a new 288-volt lithium-ion battery pack, the mass and space requirements dropped by 40 and 43 per cent, respectively. The latter means the battery is now small enough to fit under the rear seat. All of this work delivered a fuel cell powertrain that's a whopping 180 kg lighter and 40 per cent smaller than Honda's previous unit.
The electric motor delivers 134 horsepower and 189 pound-feet of torque anywhere from one to 3,056 rpm. The result is a ton of low-end grunt (enough to set off the traction control system if one nails the accelerator) and a sustained pull through the mid-range. It also delivers a top speed of 160 km/ hour and a real-world driving range of 440 km, both of which are a match for a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle.
After driving the FCX Clarity it became only too obvious to me that the fuel cell has finally come of age. The proof came in April at New York Auto Show. The FCX Clarity was named the 2009 World Green Car - it beat 22 contenders from 25 countries to take the prestigious crown.
Celebrities are also buying into the whole zero-emission thing. On Aug. 5, 2008, Jamie Lee Curtis became the second person to take delivery of an FCX Clarity. Curtis is one of approximately 200 customers who will lease the vehicle in the United States and Japan, the vast majority of vehicles being based in Southern California where there is some semblance of a refuelling infrastructure.
The globalization of the fuel cell system and hydrogen's potential to become the next fuel source is growing as more people start to recognize the need to develop realistic zero-emission vehicles. Europe and Japan will likely be the first to embrace fuel cells. In North America, it is going to take some serious political will to begin the shift away from today's gas-guzzling frenzy and towards tomorrow's hydrogen-driven world.
automotive@sympatico.ca
Source;
http://www.canada.com/Fuel+cells+finally+staged+power+future+thanks+Honda+FCXClarity/1590751/story.html
Monday, May 11, 2009
Car and Driver: We Talk With The Third Lessee of a Honda FCX Clarity - Interview
BY AARON ROBINSON June 2009Who: Jim Salomon, 52, Builder
What: Third person to receive a Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel-cell car
Where: Newport Beach, California
What was your first car?
I hate to say this, but it was a 1957 Nash Metropolitan.
Did girls laugh at you in high school?
Uh, sort of, yeah. It was a three-on-the-tree, turquoise and white. I picked it up for 50 bucks, and it was like brand-new.
With what can you compare the Clarity?
I have to compare this car with my Ford GT, but it’s such a totally different driving experience. The lack of shifting. The lack of gears. It’s got a lot of torque, which surprises me for an environmentally friendly car.
Are you going to sell any of your four gasoline-powered cars now?
Not all, but probably some of the modern ones. This car replaced a Mercedes S550. I do not like driving that car anymore. When I got the Clarity, I drove it for about three weeks. Then I jumped into the Mercedes to run a quick errand. It felt like there was an anchor tied to the bumper. I always thought the Benz had good pickup, but the Clarity feels like you’re devoid of gravity.
Do you know how the fuel cell works?
I’m not a scientist, but I am mechanically minded. You basically have an onboard generator, which is the fuel cell, and it takes hydrogen through the fuel-cell membranes, which are made up of palladium and other metals, which creates a reverse electrolysis reaction, which creates electricity to power the motor.
What’s the range?
Honda says 270 miles; I’ve been getting 220. I drive the car hard. I’ve gotten it up to 100 mph.
This car is leased from Honda [$600 per month; 36-month fixed-term, no-option lease]. What happens if you crash it?
They never said anything about that. The lease includes everything—brakes, tires. I guess collision, too. You can’t take it to Maaco. I definitely do not want to be the first Clarity driver to crack up a car. I heard the press crashed one.
It wasn’t us.
Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/features_classic_cars/we_talk_with_the_third_lessee_of_a_honda_fcx_clarity_interview
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