First fuel cell car delivered

Honda breaks ground with new motive power

By PH Staff / Friday, 1 July 2005 / Loading comments

Fuel cell vehicles -- the future?

Honda reckoned it has just delivered the first fuel cell powered vehicle for normal family use this week, and that it marks "a historic achievement in the evolution of the automobile and the advancement of future transportation technology".

It has leased its FCX, a hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle, to the world’s first individual customers, Jon and Sandy Spallino of Redondo Beach, California. The Spallinos agreed to lease a 2005 Honda FCX for two years.

Honda claimed to be the only automotive manufacturer to certify its fuel cell vehicle for regular daily use and the first to offer its technology to an individual customer. The Spallinos will use the FCX in everyday normal use, including commuting to work to Orange County, trips to school for their children, shopping and household errands.

California Hydrogen Highway

The Spallino family, living in the Los Angeles area, will be among the first individuals to patronise the first of California’s Hydrogen Highway refuelling stations, a state-wide infrastructure being built to offer hydrogen to private individuals. In April, California's governor Arnie Schwarzenegger announced a commitment to complete the project by 2010.

Honda FCX on the road

The Spallino family will be the first of several FCX vehicles to be leased to individual customers over the next year, said Honda. The company also leases a fleet of 13 FCXs that are in daily use with six public municipal customers in California, New York and Nevada.

The Honda FCX is the first hydrogen vehicle to be certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California’s Air Resources Board (CARB). The EPA certified the 2005 FCX as a Tier-2 Bin 1, and CARB certified the FCX as a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV).

The 2005 FCX model is powered by Honda’s originally developed fuel cell stack (Honda FC Stack) with the capability to start and operate at sub-freezing temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius, along with increased performance, range and fuel efficiency compared with earlier models. The FCX was the first fuel cell vehicle to be listed in the EPA’s fuel economy guide in 2003. The 2005 FCX carries an EPA city/highway rating of 62/51 miles per gallon and a range of 190 miles.

Honda said nothing about how much fossil fuel would be burnt in order to generate hydrogen. And isn't it a pity it's such a dull motor?