More Environment-Friendly, Fuel Cell Powered Hondas to Traverse the
Streets of Los Angeles Soon
More Environment-Friendly, Fuel Cell Powered Hondas to Traverse the
Streets of Los Angeles Soon
by: Jenny McLane
More Environment-Friendly, Fuel Cell Powered Hondas to Traverse the
Streets of Los Angeles Soon
This is the latest buzz words in the car industry, but what is it
really all about?
Honda FCX powered by Honda fuel cells.
It has been two years since Honda released the Honda FCX which has
become the first fuel cell vehicle in the world to receive government
certification, paving the way for the commercial use of fuel cell
vehicles. This comes as no surprise as Honda has always been an
advocate of environmental consciousness and a pioneer in developing
cutting edge technology in protecting the environment. The fuel-cell is
propelled by electricity generated by a hydrogen-oxygen chemical
reaction, and its only emission, amazingly, is water vapor. Now, with a
fresh stamp of approval from the Environmental Protection Agency and
the California Air Resources Board, Honda is delivering a family of new
FCX fuel-cell vehicles to its first customer, the city of Los Angeles,
known for its strict environmental emission rules to eliminate the
overwhelming air pollution already at its midst.
The latest version of Honda fuel cells delivers about 15% more maximum
drive motor torque than the previous prototypes and also provides
improvements in mid-to-high range power output characteristics and
acceleration. It also has an amplified driving range of 220 miles,
about 25 miles more than the previous model.
How does the fuel cell work?
In principle, a fuel cell functions like a battery. Dissimilar from a
battery though, a fuel cell does not run down or require recharging. It
will produce energy in the form of electricity and heat as long as fuel
is supplied. The type of fuel cell used in the Honda FCX is called a
Polymer electrolyte fuel cell. Powered by Hydrogen gas the fuel cell
provides power to the FCX's AC synchronous electric motor to give the
FCX a top speed of around 93 mph. With engine output at around 60kW,
Honda claims the clean FCX has similar performance to the its petrol
drinking brother, the Honda Civic. Fuel Cells produce electricity from
an external fuel supply as opposed to the limited internal energy
storage capacity of a battery.
A fuel cell system, which includes a "fuel reformer", can utilize
the hydrogen from any hydrocarbon fuel - from natural gas to methanol,
and even gasoline. Since the fuel cell relies on chemistry and not
combustion, emissions from this type of a system would still be much
smaller than emissions from the cleanest fuel combustion processes. In
fact fuel cells running on hydrogen derived from a renewable source
will emit nothing but water vapor. Water vapor being its only exhaust,
a fuel cell powered vehicle such as the Honda FCX produces completely
no harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
Fuel cells were first used in a practical application by NASA in the
1960?s for their Apollo space program. For decades sensible fuel cell
application was regarded as too costly and too difficult for automobile
usage. Through constant research and development its utilization may
become a reality, the only problem that crops up is the source for
refueling.
Honda?s proposed solution for refueling stations.
If fuel cell powered cars ever become popular, gas stations may soon
have to start supplying hydrogen as well as their regular petroleum
based products. But since currently there are only a handful of them
around, this may be far from happening.
Until then, Honda will continue to do some research on other possible
solutions. An experimental Home Energy Station (HES) is seen as the
most feasible. The HES could generate hydrogen from natural gas for use
in fuel cell vehicles while supplying electricity and hot water to the
home. The new HES system that has been jointly developed with strategic
fuel cell partner Plug Power Inc. is located on the grounds of Honda
R&D Americas in Torrance, California, and will undergo experiments in
hydrogen production, storage and fueling, as part of ongoing research
into hydrogen energy sources. The new HES system, which can currently
produce enough hydrogen to refill the tank of a Honda FCX hydrogen fuel
cell vehicle taking just a few minutes once a day.
Honda?s dedication to a greener and cleaner environment.
Honda started research and development on fuel cells in 1989. Ten years
after they have been road testing fuel cell powered vehicles in the US
and Japan. Honda is a member of the California Fuel Cell Partnership
(CaFCP) based in Sacramento, California, and has been working closely
with that organization.
Honda has had a long history of environmental breakthroughs and
dedication with their automobiles. Even from way back in 1975, Honda
scored it big with their CVCC as being the first vehicle to meet the
amended Clean Air act standard. Honda was also the first auto company
to produce a vehicle, the Honda Civic, to meet the low emission vehicle
(LEV) standard in all 50 states and the first to sell a gasoline car
meeting first California's Ultra Low Emission Vehicle standard and
subsequently the "Super" ULEV standard (Accord).
Honda was also the first to sell a combined gasoline and electric
powered vehicle, the Insight, in the U.S. and early in 2002 they
introduced the Civic Hybrid, it was the first mass marketed hybrid
model. The Civic GX was the first dedicated mass-produced natural gas
vehicle when it went on sale in 1998 and has been recognized by the
EPA, as the cleanest internal combustion engine in the world. Truly,
Honda understands the need for environmental care and the total
independence in the future for petroleum based products to fuel their
engines.
With all of this new technology cropping up, the motoring world doesn?t
seem like it used to be. The good thing is it all boils down to
consumer preference. Many products though cater to the whole welfare of
the people even when it is channeled through too many aspects. What is
inevitable is that no mater how efficient and durable your vehicle is,
it will be subjected to wear and tear. Constant use and driving calls
for constant maintenance and preventive maintenance also, at Auto Parts
Train we continually update our catalogs to provide the most complete
and comprehensive lineup of superb Honda parts. With 25 years of
experience we know that the automobile industry constantly evolves and
new technology crops up every now and then. You can be sure that we are
always on our guard for a high end Honda part.
Be it a Honda replacement part, a Honda collision part or a Honda
performance enhancement part, Auto Parts Train is here to serve you.
Browse through our 24-hour online shop to find the perfect Honda part
for you. Click on this link
(http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByVehicle/HONDA ) to see our wide array
of first rate Honda auto parts that we have on stock. We guarantee all
the fit and quality of our Honda car parts. For assistance, you may
call our toll free line, 1-888-251-1214, 12 hours a day, six days a
week. Our very efficient and highly-trained customer service staff is
standing by to help you.
http://www.jeeppatriot.net/jeep/more-environment-friendly-fuel-cell-powered-hondas-to-traverse-the-streets-of-los-angeles-soon.html
If it does not "run down or require recharging" what is the purpose of the
"fuel" in 'Fuel Cell'?
Does it use hydrogen directly as fuel or does it use gasoline or methanol
and have an onboard reformer? What method is currently used to produce the
fuel?
When you say it uses external energy..does that mean it has pipes running to
it to carry the hydrogen? Or is the Hydrogen stored on board....what is the
storage capacity on board for this?
How is this hydrogen produced, and what is the efficiency of the process of
creating this hydrogen? What are the losses at each stage of the delivery to
the vehicle? "Well to tank efficiency"
What is the efficiency of the conversion of this hydrogen to motive force?
"Tank to wheel efficiency"
How does the cost of manufacturing the vehicle compare to current ICE cars,
to CNG cars, to Hybrids, to BEV's?
How much will it cost to create the needed infrastructure to make this a
viable alternative to any of the above? How long would it take to put this
in place?
Where will the energy come from to produce the hydrogen? How much additional
generating capacity will we require to produce the hydrogen?
> More Environment-Friendly, Fuel Cell Powered Hondas to Traverse the
> Streets of Los Angeles Soon
> More Environment-Friendly, Fuel Cell Powered Hondas to Traverse the
> Streets of Los Angeles Soon
> by: Jenny McLane
> More Environment-Friendly, Fuel Cell Powered Hondas to Traverse the
> Streets of Los Angeles Soon
> This is the latest buzz words in the car industry, but what is it
> really all about?
> Honda FCX powered by Honda fuel cells.
> It has been two years since Honda released the Honda FCX which has
> become the first fuel cell vehicle in the world to receive government
> certification, paving the way for the commercial use of fuel cell
> vehicles. This comes as no surprise as Honda has always been an
> advocate of environmental consciousness and a pioneer in developing
> cutting edge technology in protecting the environment. The fuel-cell is
> propelled by electricity generated by a hydrogen-oxygen chemical
> reaction, and its only emission, amazingly, is water vapor. Now, with a
> fresh stamp of approval from the Environmental Protection Agency and
> the California Air Resources Board, Honda is delivering a family of new
> FCX fuel-cell vehicles to its first customer, the city of Los Angeles,
> known for its strict environmental emission rules to eliminate the
> overwhelming air pollution already at its midst.
> The latest version of Honda fuel cells delivers about 15% more maximum
> drive motor torque than the previous prototypes and also provides
> improvements in mid-to-high range power output characteristics and
> acceleration. It also has an amplified driving range of 220 miles,
> about 25 miles more than the previous model.
> How does the fuel cell work?
> In principle, a fuel cell functions like a battery. Dissimilar from a
> battery though, a fuel cell does not run down or require recharging. It
> will produce energy in the form of electricity and heat as long as fuel
> is supplied. The type of fuel cell used in the Honda FCX is called a
> Polymer electrolyte fuel cell. Powered by Hydrogen gas the fuel cell
> provides power to the FCX's AC synchronous electric motor to give the
> FCX a top speed of around 93 mph. With engine output at around 60kW,
> Honda claims the clean FCX has similar performance to the its petrol
> drinking brother, the Honda Civic. Fuel Cells produce electricity from
> an external fuel supply as opposed to the limited internal energy
> storage capacity of a battery.
> A fuel cell system, which includes a "fuel reformer", can utilize
> the hydrogen from any hydrocarbon fuel - from natural gas to methanol,
> and even gasoline. Since the fuel cell relies on chemistry and not
> combustion, emissions from this type of a system would still be much
> smaller than emissions from the cleanest fuel combustion processes. In
> fact fuel cells running on hydrogen derived from a renewable source
> will emit nothing but water vapor. Water vapor being its only exhaust,
> a fuel cell powered vehicle such as the Honda FCX produces completely
> no harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
> Fuel cells were first used in a practical application by NASA in the
> 1960?s for their Apollo space program. For decades sensible fuel cell
> application was regarded as too costly and too difficult for automobile
> usage. Through constant research and development its utilization may
> become a reality, the only problem that crops up is the source for
> refueling.
> Honda?s proposed solution for refueling stations.
> If fuel cell powered cars ever become popular, gas stations may soon
> have to start supplying hydrogen as well as their regular petroleum
> based products. But since currently there are only a handful of them
> around, this may be far from happening.
> Until then, Honda will continue to do some research on other possible
> solutions. An experimental Home Energy Station (HES) is seen as the
> most feasible. The HES could generate hydrogen from natural gas for use
> in fuel cell vehicles while supplying electricity and hot water to the
> home. The new HES system that has been jointly developed with strategic
> fuel cell partner Plug Power Inc. is located on the grounds of Honda
> R&D Americas in Torrance, California, and will undergo experiments in
> hydrogen production, storage and fueling, as part of ongoing research
> into hydrogen energy sources. The new HES system, which can currently
> produce enough hydrogen to refill the tank of a Honda FCX hydrogen fuel
> cell vehicle taking just a few minutes once a day.
> Honda?s dedication to a greener and cleaner environment.
> Honda started research and development on fuel cells in 1989. Ten years
> after they have been road testing fuel cell powered vehicles in the US
> and Japan. Honda is a member of the California Fuel Cell Partnership
> (CaFCP) based in Sacramento, California, and has been working closely
> with that organization.
> Honda has had a long history of environmental breakthroughs and
> dedication with their automobiles. Even from way back in 1975, Honda
> scored it big with their CVCC as being the first vehicle to meet the
> amended Clean Air act standard. Honda was also the first auto company
> to produce a vehicle, the Honda Civic, to meet the low emission vehicle
> (LEV) standard in all 50 states and the first to sell a gasoline car
> meeting first California's Ultra Low Emission Vehicle standard and
> subsequently the "Super" ULEV standard (Accord).
> Honda was also the first to sell a combined gasoline and electric
> powered vehicle, the Insight, in the U.S. and early in 2002 they
> introduced the Civic Hybrid, it was the first mass marketed hybrid
> model. The Civic GX was the first dedicated mass-produced natural gas
> vehicle when it went on sale in 1998 and has been recognized by the
> EPA, as the cleanest internal combustion engine in the world. Truly,
> Honda understands the need for environmental care and the total
> independence in the future for petroleum based products to fuel their
> engines.
> With all of this new technology cropping up, the motoring world doesn?t
> seem like it used to be. The good thing is it all boils down to
> consumer preference. Many products though cater to the whole welfare of
> the people even when it is channeled through too many aspects. What is
> inevitable is that no mater how efficient and durable your vehicle is,
> it will be subjected to wear and tear. Constant use and driving calls
> for constant maintenance and preventive maintenance also, at Auto Parts
> Train we continually update our catalogs to provide the most complete
> and comprehensive lineup of superb Honda parts. With 25 years of
> experience we know that the automobile industry constantly evolves and
> new technology crops up every now and then. You can be sure that we are
> always on our guard for a high end Honda part.
> Be it a Honda replacement part, a Honda collision part or a Honda
> performance enhancement part, Auto Parts Train is here to serve you.
> Browse through our 24-hour online shop to find the perfect Honda part
> for you. Click on this link
> (http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByVehicle/HONDA ) to see our wide array
> of first rate Honda auto parts that we have on stock. We guarantee all
> the fit and quality of our Honda car parts. For assistance, you may
> call our toll free line, 1-888-251-1214, 12 hours a day, six days a
> week. Our very efficient and highly-trained customer service staff is
> standing by to help you.
http://www.jeeppatriot.net/jeep/more-environment-friendly-fuel-cell-powered-hondas-to-traverse-the-streets-of-los-angeles-soon.html
While math has never been my strong suit, as I have demonstrated
repeatedly, I firmly believe that electric cars are the way to go. There are
problems with batteries related to getting enough on board storage of the
electricity.....I concede this. I also believe that this can be mostly
overcome by changing the way we build cars...focusing on composites and
weight reduction, aerodynamics, and electrical efficiencies....and focusing
on the vehicles purpose and use rather than just making blanket comparisons
to ICE cars.
I don't foresee them being a catch all solution to all of our gasoline
consumption issues, but I believe they can help. I also view them to be much
simpler in construction, lower maintenance, and with rooftop PV on the
home...a technology that can free us from overseas oil, price gouging and
government or corporate malfeasance....
This is aside from the obvious environmental benefits.
I strongly believe they have a place in our overall transportation
environment, as urban commuter vehicles, local delivery vehicles, fleet
vehicles etc.....
I believe that the infrastructure for electric vehicles is already in place
and will require only minor changes and costs to make EV's a viable option
for extended personal travel using either higher voltage quick chargers, or
a scheme for battery swapping (along the lines of per usage billing just as
they do for u-haul trailers, cell phone minutes, or copies from kinko's)
provided we use lighter, smaller batteries like the high density lithiums.
I feel that for uses requiring greater utility and longer ranges such as
trucking and construction, current hybrid technologies are capable of
reducing the fuel consumption and when combined with higher use of
lightweight materials will have a great impact on costs and the
environment.
I also feel that there are other "alternatives" to the ICE which hold
promise for reducing emissions....specifically external combustion gas
catalyst heat engines like stirlings and AMTEC (alkali metal thermo electric
convertors) which are already capable meeting the same conversion
efficiencies as ICE......and offer other advantages in terms of being
flexible in terms of fuel required...they are heat engines, so they don't
care whether the heat is fuel based or genmerated by solar concentrator, or
even nuclear decay (see radioisotope thermal generators...yikes).
Each option, has it's own set of issues that need to be addressed......as
does hydrogen. I don't personally believe that hydrogen will be a viable
alternative in my lifetime..but I applaud those who are working on advancing
the technology, as progress in one area often provides welcome and
unexpected benefits to others. I am for example counting on the advances in
hybrids, fuel cells, computing, telecom and uninteruptible power sources to
bring about cost reductions in large scale lithium batteries.....which I
feel are essential to my beloved EV's!
Regards All,
David W. Beard
> beard6801@bellsouth.net wrote:
> Good questions all, Including the ones snipped.
> > If it does not "run down or require recharging" what is the
> > purpose of the "fuel" in 'Fuel Cell'?
> >> It will produce energy in the form of electricity and
> >> heat as long as fuel is supplied.
> > When you say it uses external energy..does that mean it has pipes
> > running to it to carry the hydrogen? Or is the Hydrogen stored on
> > board....what is the storage capacity on board for this?
> "hydrogen embrittlement"
<http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22hydrogen+embrittlement%22&btnG=Goog
le+Search>
> --
> www.synapticsparks.info
XML site map
> Streets of Los Angeles Soon
> More Environment-Friendly, Fuel Cell Powered Hondas to Traverse the
> Streets of Los Angeles Soon
> by: Jenny McLane
> More Environment-Friendly, Fuel Cell Powered Hondas to Traverse the
> Streets of Los Angeles Soon
> This is the latest buzz words in the car industry, but what is it
> really all about?
> Honda FCX powered by Honda fuel cells.
> It has been two years since Honda released the Honda FCX which has
> become the first fuel cell vehicle in the world to receive government
> certification, paving the way for the commercial use of fuel cell
> vehicles. This comes as no surprise as Honda has always been an
> advocate of environmental consciousness and a pioneer in developing
> cutting edge technology in protecting the environment. The fuel-cell is
> propelled by electricity generated by a hydrogen-oxygen chemical
> reaction, and its only emission, amazingly, is water vapor. Now, with a
> fresh stamp of approval from the Environmental Protection Agency and
> the California Air Resources Board, Honda is delivering a family of new
> FCX fuel-cell vehicles to its first customer, the city of Los Angeles,
> known for its strict environmental emission rules to eliminate the
> overwhelming air pollution already at its midst.
> The latest version of Honda fuel cells delivers about 15% more maximum
> drive motor torque than the previous prototypes and also provides
> improvements in mid-to-high range power output characteristics and
> acceleration. It also has an amplified driving range of 220 miles,
> about 25 miles more than the previous model.
> How does the fuel cell work?
> In principle, a fuel cell functions like a battery. Dissimilar from a
> battery though, a fuel cell does not run down or require recharging. It
> will produce energy in the form of electricity and heat as long as fuel
> is supplied. The type of fuel cell used in the Honda FCX is called a
> Polymer electrolyte fuel cell. Powered by Hydrogen gas the fuel cell
> provides power to the FCX's AC synchronous electric motor to give the
> FCX a top speed of around 93 mph. With engine output at around 60kW,
> Honda claims the clean FCX has similar performance to the its petrol
> drinking brother, the Honda Civic. Fuel Cells produce electricity from
> an external fuel supply as opposed to the limited internal energy
> storage capacity of a battery.
> A fuel cell system, which includes a "fuel reformer", can utilize
> the hydrogen from any hydrocarbon fuel - from natural gas to methanol,
> and even gasoline. Since the fuel cell relies on chemistry and not
> combustion, emissions from this type of a system would still be much
> smaller than emissions from the cleanest fuel combustion processes. In
> fact fuel cells running on hydrogen derived from a renewable source
> will emit nothing but water vapor. Water vapor being its only exhaust,
> a fuel cell powered vehicle such as the Honda FCX produces completely
> no harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
> Fuel cells were first used in a practical application by NASA in the
> 1960?s for their Apollo space program. For decades sensible fuel cell
> application was regarded as too costly and too difficult for automobile
> usage. Through constant research and development its utilization may
> become a reality, the only problem that crops up is the source for
> refueling.
> Honda?s proposed solution for refueling stations.
> If fuel cell powered cars ever become popular, gas stations may soon
> have to start supplying hydrogen as well as their regular petroleum
> based products. But since currently there are only a handful of them
> around, this may be far from happening.
> Until then, Honda will continue to do some research on other possible
> solutions. An experimental Home Energy Station (HES) is seen as the
> most feasible. The HES could generate hydrogen from natural gas for use
> in fuel cell vehicles while supplying electricity and hot water to the
> home. The new HES system that has been jointly developed with strategic
> fuel cell partner Plug Power Inc. is located on the grounds of Honda
> R&D Americas in Torrance, California, and will undergo experiments in
> hydrogen production, storage and fueling, as part of ongoing research
> into hydrogen energy sources. The new HES system, which can currently
> produce enough hydrogen to refill the tank of a Honda FCX hydrogen fuel
> cell vehicle taking just a few minutes once a day.
> Honda?s dedication to a greener and cleaner environment.
> Honda started research and development on fuel cells in 1989. Ten years
> after they have been road testing fuel cell powered vehicles in the US
> and Japan. Honda is a member of the California Fuel Cell Partnership
> (CaFCP) based in Sacramento, California, and has been working closely
> with that organization.
> Honda has had a long history of environmental breakthroughs and
> dedication with their automobiles. Even from way back in 1975, Honda
> scored it big with their CVCC as being the first vehicle to meet the
> amended Clean Air act standard. Honda was also the first auto company
> to produce a vehicle, the Honda Civic, to meet the low emission vehicle
> (LEV) standard in all 50 states and the first to sell a gasoline car
> meeting first California's Ultra Low Emission Vehicle standard and
> subsequently the "Super" ULEV standard (Accord).
> Honda was also the first to sell a combined gasoline and electric
> powered vehicle, the Insight, in the U.S. and early in 2002 they
> introduced the Civic Hybrid, it was the first mass marketed hybrid
> model. The Civic GX was the first dedicated mass-produced natural gas
> vehicle when it went on sale in 1998 and has been recognized by the
> EPA, as the cleanest internal combustion engine in the world. Truly,
> Honda understands the need for environmental care and the total
> independence in the future for petroleum based products to fuel their
> engines.
> With all of this new technology cropping up, the motoring world doesn?t
> seem like it used to be. The good thing is it all boils down to
> consumer preference. Many products though cater to the whole welfare of
> the people even when it is channeled through too many aspects. What is
> inevitable is that no mater how efficient and durable your vehicle is,
> it will be subjected to wear and tear. Constant use and driving calls
> for constant maintenance and preventive maintenance also, at Auto Parts
> Train we continually update our catalogs to provide the most complete
> and comprehensive lineup of superb Honda parts. With 25 years of
> experience we know that the automobile industry constantly evolves and
> new technology crops up every now and then. You can be sure that we are
> always on our guard for a high end Honda part.
> Be it a Honda replacement part, a Honda collision part or a Honda
> performance enhancement part, Auto Parts Train is here to serve you.
> Browse through our 24-hour online shop to find the perfect Honda part
> for you. Click on this link
> (http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByVehicle/HONDA ) to see our wide array
> of first rate Honda auto parts that we have on stock. We guarantee all
> the fit and quality of our Honda car parts. For assistance, you may
> call our toll free line, 1-888-251-1214, 12 hours a day, six days a
> week. Our very efficient and highly-trained customer service staff is
> standing by to help you.