Honda takes pride in H-power

Takeo Fukui with the FCX concept.

A hydrogen-powered Honda sedan based on the carmaker's road-ready FCX is expected to go on sale in selected markets in 18 months. The driveable FCX was unveiled in Japan last month and was the focus of Honda's stand at the Paris motor show.

"It looks years ahead of its time," says Honda Motor Co president and chief executive Takeo Fukui, "but Honda plans to begin sales in 2008 of a next-generation vehicle based very closely on this concept.

"The new fuel-cell vehicle will feature the principle technologies of the FCX concept to achieve a new dimension in environment-friendly driving pleasure not found with gasoline-engine vehicles."

Fukui says Honda has accepted the challenge to create new value in the area of the environment and the Civic hybrid makes advancements in fuel consumption and driving performance.

"But we are not stopping there. Honda will expand its hybrid line-up in 2009 with an all-new dedicated hybrid vehicle suitable for families, offered at a reasonable price. We expect a global sales volume of 200,000 units."

Honda has also developed a next-generation diesel engine that reduces exhaust emissions to a level equal to a petrol engine. The carmaker uses a revolutionary catalytic converter that reduces harmful oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions to meet new United States Environmental Protection Agency requirements.

Honda says the system is a world first and uses ammonia generated by the catalytic converter to turn nitrogen oxides into harmless nitrogen (N2). In its oxide form (NO), nitrogen contributes to global warming.

Ammonia is highly effective in neutralising nitrogen oxides in an oxygen-rich, lean-burn atmosphere.

The catalytic converter is a two-layer structure: one layer adsorbs NOx from the exhaust gas and converts a part of it to ammonia. The other layer adsorbs the ammonia and uses it to convert the remaining NOx in the exhaust into N2.

Honda designed the catalytic converter for use with its 2.2-litre i-CTDi diesel engine, which has earned widespread praise for reducing NOx and particulates (soot) since its introduction in 2003 on the European Accord. The engine is not available in New Zealand.

Modern diesels available in New Zealand have filters that reduce soot output by more than 90 per cent over previous engines.

Mercedes-Benz also uses ammonia to neutralise NOx in diesel exhausts.

The luxury German carmaker stores ammonia-based urea in a separate tank and injects it into the exhaust. The vehicle's owner is responsible for ensuring the urea tank is kept full.

Benz vehicles equipped with this system will be available here within two years. BMW, the Chrysler Group, General Motors and Audi also plan to use a urea tank. The system has met criticism because of the driver being responsible for making sure the tank is full.

If the urea runs out, the vehicle would not meet new emissions standards. Honda's system doesn't need driver maintenance.

But while it looks like a breakthrough, the carmaker doesn't know whether it will work on low-cetane diesel fuel.

Cetane is a measurement of diesel fuel's ability to ignite quickly. The Cetane level in lower-sulphur diesel available in New Zealand is now higher and more stable than it was with higher content sulphur.

But inconsistencies in diesel and in the levels of cetane in the United States, Honda's biggest and most important market, make the system difficult to calibrate.

And to pass EPA requirements in the US, the system must be trouble-free for 10 years or 250,000km. Honda has not yet certified its system to those standards.

The 2008 hydrogen FCX sedan is expected to look much like the test vehicle Honda is inviting journalists in Japan and Europe to drive.

Its short-nose body contains a comfortably large cabin, the carmaker says. The fuel-cell stack is housed in a lengthways tunnel in the centre of the car instead of in bulk across the width.

Honda says this layout allowed designers to create an elegant, low-riding sedan that would have been difficult to achieve in a conventional fuel-cell vehicle.

Inside, the car's upholstery and door linings are made from bio-fabric, a plant-based material that is durable and resistant to sunlight damage.

The redesigned fuel-cell stack is 20 per cent smaller and 30 per cent lighter but 15kW more powerful than that used in the previous FCX concept.

The drive motor has been better mated to a redesigned shift-by-wire gearbox for a more compact design.

Together, the two components are about 180kg lighter than that of the previous FCX and about 40 per cent smaller in volume.

The result is improved energy efficiency and performance, plus a more spacious interior.

The new fuel stack also works differently. The hydrogen and the water formed in generation now flows vertically. Previously, it flowed horizontally.

Honda says the design uses gravity for better water drainage, a key to high-efficiency fuel-stack performance.

The result is stable power generation under a broad range of conditions and higher output from a smaller package.

Low-temperature start-up has been improved, enabling cold-weather starts at temperatures as low as -30C - 10C lower than the present FCX.

The FCX concept also uses a compact, high-efficiency lithium-ion battery, which boosts power output.

Honda says the FCX production car will be three times more energy-efficient than a petrol-powered vehicle and twice that of a hybrid.

Its FCX test car produces 95kW (128bhp) and 256Nm of torque. It has a top speed of 160km/h and a range of 570km.