2009 Honda FCX Review

Specifications

Where the Europeans have been chasing diesel, and the Americans (plus Toyota) have been pro-hybrid, Honda has had its fingers dipped in all sorts of different pots when it comes to maximizing fuel economy and minimizing emissions and pollutants. In Europe, most of Honda’s cars feature diesel power, not to mention that Honda also sells the Civic Hybrid overseas. In North America, it’s a bit of a different mix; hybrid and natural gas are two different alternatives that Honda offers. But this only captures part of the big picture at the Japanese automaker. Alongside these products that regular automotive consumers can buy, it has been testing out its fuel cell program in the United States. First came the FCX, its first generation fuel-cell, stuffed in a rather chubby and boxy looking three-door hatchback. This experiment on wheels was followed by the brand’s next generation fuel cell program, which is now ready for the roads.

The FCX Clarity (named Clarity, presumably to clearly differentiate itself from the first FCX, awful pun intended) looks a whole lot like the concept car that shares its name, but there’s a reason to this rhyme. Besides the fact that having a car with zero tailpipe emissions is worthy of such futuristic styling, the FCX Clarity’s design demonstrates a point. The new fuel cell system is small enough to allow Honda’s designers to have free reign over how the car looks, hence the low-slung nose, sleek profile and sports car-like stance.

As mentioned, the FCX Clarity is close in appearance to the FCX Concept, but it isn’t quite a carbon copy. Honda altered the physical structure of the car’s nose in order to offer better front-end crash protection, so the proportions are slightly different. Also added was a grille for ventilation, something that the show car did not feature, nor the production car’s chromed surround. It breaks up the wraparound light bar at the front, though the shape and the raised surfaces of the lights remain. In some ways, it looks like a cross between our Honda Civic, the European Honda Civic and the sleek shape of the Toyota Prius, with hints of some of Honda’s other environmentally friendly concepts like the CR-Z, with its pinched rear fenders and glass. Personally, I’m a little surprised that more of this design didn’t permeate into the new Honda Accord, granted the daring design of the Civic.

If there’s one complaint to be made about the Clarity, it’s with regards to its wheels. Done in the name of economy (surely), these tiny alloys look overwhelmed by the midsize body, not to mention that the design of the rims lacks the glamor the rest of the car embodies. Wrapped in low-rolling resistance tires, they contribute to the reduction of drag and friction.

It’s tempting to call the interior of the FCX Clarity futuristic, but given what we’ve seen from Honda’s interior design department on some of their regular cars, it fits in quite nicely with the rest of the Honda family. Controls are more or less familiar to anyone who owns a modern Honda or Acura, with the buttons, switches and the display for the climate and navigation system being the same, while the layout of the instruments appears easy to read. There also seems to be no shortage of bins and cubbies for the sort of clutter that cars tend to accumulate.

Interestingly, there are some content differences between the FCX Clarity and other Honda / Acura products. It has, for instance, a push-button starter with keyless ignition, and a very unique gearshift lever for the transmission that sits on the dashboard rather than on the floor, not to mention it gets a pushbutton actuated parking brake. The seats, Honda claims, are also very environmentally sound in that they’re made from something called Bio Fabric that is derived from plant matter, reducing toxins and excess carbon dioxide. The FCX Clarity is also very well equipped, as it comes with a reverse camera, digital climate control, heated and ventilated seats, Bluetooth handsfree with voice recognition software, and of course navigation which automatically seeks out hydrogen fueling stations. The FCX also only has four seats, rather than five.

At the heart of the FCX Clarity is Honda’s latest fuel cell development, the V Flow Fuel Cell. As with all technologies, the main goal of this latest pack is to reduce the physical size and weight of the fuel cell, while making it more efficient. In what seems like a magic trick, Honda has shrunk the V Flow by a whopping 65-percent compared to the old one used in the previous FCX. To give you an idea of what this change is like, Honda states that the fuel cell powertrain - electric motors, fuel cell, storage tank, etc. - takes up the same amount of space as a regular gasoline-electric hybrid. The efficiency of the fuel cell has skyrocketed; despite being much, much smaller, output has increased 50-percent by volume.

In terms of weight shed, the transition from the old system to new relieved the car of more than 400 lbs from the powertrain, which is important as weight is the natural enemy of fuel cell cars. Simple things such as giving the car one hydrogen tank instead of two cut weight and complexity, while increasing the overall volume of stored hydrogen by 10-percent. At 3,582 lbs the FCX Clarity isn’t exactly what we’d call light, but to compare with one of Honda’s current production cars it’s only 175 lbs heavier than a similarly sized Accord Sedan. Other fuel cell vehicles weigh hundreds if not thousands of pounds more.


The other half of the FCX Clarity’s hydrogen fuel cell has to do with electricity. Once the hydrogen has been used, the electricity it generates is directed to a lithium ion battery pack. Advancements have been made in this department too; new technology has literally shrunken the battery pack’s size by 50-percent, and has reduced its weight by 40-percent without compromise of performance. The electric motor that the FCX Clarity features generates 136 horsepower, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s the 189 lb-ft of torque that makes all the difference. Because peak torque is produced constantly, acceleration is responsive. Honda claims a 0-60 mph time of around 10 seconds. Like Honda’s Civic Hybrid, the FCX Clarity features a regenerative braking system which recharges the battery when coasting or braking.

The net result is better performance, better acceleration, improved fuel economy and improved range. Since refueling stations are still relatively obscure, these points – especially the last two – are very important. Compared to the last fuel cell car Honda produced, the new FCX Clarity offers 20-percent better fuel economy, for a total of 31 mi/lb, but since the bulk of us are used to driving gasoline cars, this doesn’t mean much. Honda predicts that the FCX Clarity will do about 68 mpg in a mix of city and highway driving, which is from 2 to 3 times more efficient than a regular gasoline-powered car. The bottom line is that the FCX Clarity’s range is a completely useable 270 miles, some 30-percent better than the previous Honda fuel cell car.

Honda will be pursuing the FCX Clarity program in the same way that it did with the first FCX, or for that matter how GM dealt with the EV1 – it’ll be leased for a term of three years. Selective lessees can take home an FCX Clarity for the price of $600 per month. That alone isn’t a bad deal, but it also includes insurance and maintenance costs. Production of these cars is bound to be extremely limited, due to the sky-high costs of producing this technology, but the actual figures aren’t out in the open. The other caveat regarding the FCX Clarity is that it’s only available in Southern California at the moment, primarily because that’s where the bulk of the nation’s hydrogen fueling stations are. So, if you happen to live in the LA area, the Honda’s latest FCV is not exactly a bad deal considering its a fully functioning, drivable piece of the future.

Specifications (FCX Clarity):