TOKYO - February 26, 2004 -- Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that it conducted public testing in Hokkaido, Japan of its FCX equipped with Honda's Fuel Cell Stack, proving the vehicle's cold-start and driving performance capabilities.

Driving was conducted on a test track in Takasu as well as on public roads in Furano, Hokkaido. As a part of the test, the FCX successfully started up after being parked outside overnight. Temperatures fell to as low as -11 º C(+12 ºF ), but the FCX, equipped with Honda's original Fuel Cell Stack, started up promptly as usual. Test drives conducted immediately afterwards demonstrated the vehicle's high driving performance. Honda will continue conducting cold weather testing in its effort to make widespread use of fuel cell vehicles a reality.

The Honda FC Stack is the world's first fuel stack to feature a stamped metal separator structure and newly developed electrolyte membranes. Conventional fuel cell stacks have a complex structure in which carbon separators are fastened together with bolts. The Honda FC Stack, however, has a simplified structure composed of stamped metal separators, with rubber seals that are attached in a unique molding process and enclosed by panels. This reduces the number of components by almost 50% (compared to a conventional unit^*1 ) and more than doubles the output density^*2 , resulting in world-leading high performance.   Further, use of newly developed aromatic electrolyte membranes greatly improves durability and allows for power generation at temperatures ranging from -20ºC(-4ºF) to +95ºC(+203 ºF)-- a difficult achievement for stacks that employ conventional fluorine electrolyte membranes. The driving range of the FCX with a Honda FC Stack also has increased by 40 km^*3 , from 355 km to 395 km, while fuel economy has improved by over 10%^*4.

*1		Honda fuel cell stack on the FCX-V3
*2		output/volume, output/weight
*3		LA4 mode Honda in-house calculations
*4		Compared with an FCX equipped with a Ballard fuel cell stack.

--Specifications of the Honda FC Stack-equipped FCX--

Name		FCX
Number of occupants		4
Max. speed		150km/h
Motor	Max. output	80kW (109PS)
	Max. drive torque	272N · m (27.5 kg · m)
	Type	AC synchronous electric motor (manufactured by Honda)
Fuel cell stack (2 units)	Type	PEMFC (proton exchange membrane fuel cell, manufactured by Honda)
	Output	86kW
Fuel	Type	Compressed hydrogen
	Storage	High-pressure hydrogen tank (350 atmospheres)
	Capacity	156.6 liters
Dimensions (L x W x H, mm)		4165 x 1760 x 1645
Energy storage		Ultra Capacitor (manufactured by Honda)
Vehicle range (LA4 mode)		395 km

Last edited by JeffX on February 27, 2004 10:24