Saturday, January 10, 2009

Honda FCX Clarity - Car of the Future

Every car manufacturer is experimenting with different ways to go green and reduce our dependence on gasoline. Most are developing electric oriented vehicles which use a gasoline engine along with special batteries to generate power.

Honda is taking a different approach with their FCX Clarity. This is a Hydrogen Fuel Cell car and may well be the prototype of the cars of the future. The basic design of the power for this car starts with a Hydrogen Fuel Tank. It is a single tank holding compressed hydrogen. The hydrogen is fed into a Fuel Cell Stack. A hydrogen fuel cell produces electricity for the vehicle. The fuel cell combines hydrogen, which is stored in a fuel tank on board the vehicle, with oxygen from the air to make electricity. You could call this the heart of the system. Besides the electricity the fuel cell also produces water vapor and heat. This is a zero emissions byproduct.

The third component is a lithium-ion battery that serves as a supplemental power source. In the front of the car is the fourth component, a Power Drive Unit which governs the flow of electricity for the car. Last is the Electric Drive Motor which drives the rear wheels.

Honda has been working on this approach for several years and the FCX Clarity is the latest model. This one is now out in the field being tested by Car Magazines and will be leased to customers. The first customers received their car on July 25, 2008. About 200 more vehicles are planned for the leasing program.

Will we see this technology on a Honda Accord in the near future? Honda isn't saying yet.

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