Honda Debuts FCX Concept Fuel Cell Vehicle

Honda Motor Co. Ltd. of Tochigi, Japan recently rolled out its next-generation FCX Concept fuel cell car. The FCX Concept features a newly developed, compact high-efficiency fuel cell stack as well as a low-floor, low-riding, short-nose body. The nearly bizarre, futuristic styling is matched with improvements in power output and environmental performance.

The FCX is equipped with a V Flow1 fuel cell platform consisting of a compact, high-efficiency fuel cell stack arranged in a center-tunnel layout. Honda claims the new stack is 20 percent smaller and 30 percent lighter than the conventional fuel cell vehicle. The drive motor has been positioned coaxially with the gearbox for a more compact design. Honda reports the car has a travel range of 350 miles, 30 percent greater than the current FCX.

In previous fuel cell stacks, the hydrogen and the water that formed in electricity generation flowed horizontally. In the FCX, it flows vertically, which allows gravity to assist in discharging the water that is produced, an improvement in water drainage. Honda says this was key to the vehicle's high-efficiency performance. Limited marketing for the FCX Concept car will begin in 2008 in the U.S. and Japan.