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Honda FCEV hydrogen car debuts in Geneva

One the most exciting appearances at the Geneva Motor Show this week has to be the Honda FCEV fuel cell concept which is expected to form the basis for a production car due to launch in 2015.

First appearing at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November, the concept gives us a fascinating glimpse into what we can expect in a year’s time when Honda begins production of its next generation hydrogen-powered car.

Building on what the carmaker learnt from its limited-production FCX Clarity, the new FCEV boasts an improved drivetrain with a 100kW of power output and power density now at 3kW/L; an increase of 60 per cent compared to the current FCX Clarity. The fuel cell stack has shrunk too, by 33 per cent.

The driving range, according to Japanese JC-08 cycle is expected to be in the region of 434 miles per charge with a quick refuelling time of around three minutes at 70 MPa.

The FCEV follows on from the limited production FCX Clarity saloon, which has loaned to selected buyers in the US and Japan since 2008 – making it the first carmaker to go into production with a dedicated hydrogen-powered car.

Honda FCEV rearAlthough the model retains some of the look of the FCX Clarity, its profile has become more streamline for better efficiency.

The carmaker plans to launch a full production fuel cell model in 2015, starting in Japan and the US before bringing it to Europe.  The FCEV concept could hint at the future styling of a production model

Presenting  the car in Geneva this week Thomas Brachmann, the man in charge of Fuel Cell Technology development at Honda R&D Europe, said: “Building on twenty years of fuel-cell leadership with the FCX and FCX Clarity, the FCEV Concept sets the direction for our next-generation fuel-cell vehicle and for future improvements in electric-drive technology. While this car is a concept, it points towards a very real future.”

While a production version is expected to launch in the US and Japan first next year and arrive some time after in Europe, Honda has already been taking an interest in the potential of hydrogen fuel cell technology over here.  In 2011, the carmaker joined the Clean Energy Partnership; Europe's leading fuel cell vehicle and hydrogen infrastructure demonstration project.

More recently, the firm has participated in the H2 Mobility Programmes in Germany and the UK to demonstrate its commitment to a rollout of vehicles and hydrogen infrastructure.

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