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/ShopBy
Vehicle/HONDAto 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.
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