Honda showcases hydrogen powered vehicle

Honda yesterday unveiled a hydrogen-powered car that it aimed to start selling in March 2016 in Japan.

While electric vehicles have received much focus in alternative powertrains thanks to the success of Tesla's Model S and the potential of General Motors' second-generation Chevy Volt, as also its concept, 200-mile-range Bolt (See: GM showcases Chevrolet Bolt EV Concept with 200-mile range), which power train would finally replace the internal-combustion engine is far from clear.

Automakers who will gather this week for the annual car show in the city have on offer a range from hydrogen fuel cells, compressed natural gas, and hybrid to fully electric vehicles.

Though Honda's new hydrogen-powered FCV, with its legroom, called to mind a large futuristic sedan, according to a company executives, a hydrogen car would appeal only to a specific type of buyer.

According to Steve Ellis, Honda's manager for fuel cell vehicle sales, this was going to work for people who wanted a zero-emission car that one could fuel up in a few minutes for a 300-mile range and who lived in the proximity of hydrogen fueling station.

Those stations however do not exist in most of the US, with the exception of Southern California, which has roughly a dozen online with the number set to increase to 2016, thanks to the state's initiatives to encourage alternative-energy infrastructure.

According to Honda, it had revised its fuel-cell technology to be both more compact and efficient, CNET reported. The new hydrogen fuel stack was now 33-per cent smaller than the one it came out with in 2008 in the FCX Clarity, and boasts a 60-per cent increase in power density. The new fuel stack is now housed snugly beneath the hood of the FCV, freeing up space elsewhere in the new vehicle.

The FCV, which has a 300-mile range, can be refilled with hydrogen fuel in about 3 minutes, and emits only water vapour from its tailpipe.

Apart from the new fuel cell tech, Honda said it was working on a new plug-in hybrid vehicle, a new battery electric vehicle, and additional applications of its two- and three-motor hybrid systems, all set to hit the road by 2018. Honda called the diversification a "portfolio approach to advancing ultra-low carbon technologies.''

Honda further announced that its new four-cylinder VTEC turbocharged engines would be making their way to the North American market by the end of 2015.