Honda Launches Fuel-cell Vehicle With Drive Range of 750km

Honda Motor Co Ltd started lease sale of the "Clarity Fuel Cell" fuel-cell vehicle (FCV) March 10, 2016.

It is the first sedan-type fuel-cell vehicle that has realized an interior space large enough for five adults by storing the power train under the front hood. Its drive range is about 750km (approx 466 miles) under the JC08 test mode. With a tank capacity of 141L, 5.0kg of hydrogen (filling pressure: 70MPa) can be used for driving the vehicle.



In the case that the vehicle is sold, its reference price starts from ¥7,660,000 (approx US$67,299). It is the second commercially-available fuel-cell vehicle, following Toyota Motor Corp"s Mirai FCV.

Honda expects to lease about 200 units of the Clarity Fuel Cell in fiscal 2016. And it plans to collect users" opinions and check how the vehicle is used. Asked about sale of the vehicle to individuals, Honda Executive Sho Minekawa said, "We will start it after slightly more than a year." When a reporter asked a question about the possibility of developing a fuel-cell SUV (sport utility vehicle), etc, Honda President Takahiro Hachigou said, "It is still under consideration, but we want to develop various cars powered by fuel cells."

For the Clarity Fuel Cell equipped fuel-cell vehicle, Honda employed a newly-developed platform. The platform has a frame structure integrating the front and rear parts for the protection of components and the improvement of the interior space"s shock resistance.

The platform is expected to be applied to environmentally-friendly vehicles such as electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). A power train including an engine can be stored in the front space, and a battery can be placed under the floor or near the hydrogen tank.



Though Hachigou did not mentioned a specific date when the platform will be applied to other vehicles, he said, "We will apply it to other vehicles such as a PHEV one by one."

The maximum output and maximum torque of the drive motor are 130kW and 300N·m, respectively. The maximum output and output density of the fuel cell stack are 103kW and 3.1kW/L. The FCV uses a lithium-ion battery. It measures 4,915 (L) x 1,875 (W) x 1,480mm (H), and its wheelbase is 2,750mm. Its mass is 1,890kg.

The Clarity Fuel Cell shares some parts such as the circuit board of an inverter, DC-DC converter and battery cell with the Accord PHEV. On the other hand, Honda newly-developed the cases of a boosting converter and inverter, which are expected to be used for other vehicles to be released in the future.