Honda unveiled its first production hydrogen-powered fuel cell sedan, the Clarity Fuel Cell, at the Tokyo Motor Show on Tuesday. Though Honda has dabbled in hydrogen power since the late 1980s, the five-passenger Clarity Fuel Cell sedan is the first hydrogen-powered model that the Japanese carmaker has intended to offer up to the public.
The Clarity Fuel Cell represents a leap forward for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). Honda has managed to shrink the size of the hydrogen fuel cell stack by 33%, down to the size of a V6 gasoline engine. This compact shape allows designers to fit it underneath the hood of the car -- a first for FCVs. Until this point fuel cells have been so large that they needed to be packaged elsewhere in the vehicle, like in Toyota's Mirai, which has its fuel cell stack in the center of the vehicle, cutting into interior space.
When full of hydrogen, the Clarity Fuel Cell can travel 700 km (434 miles) on a single charge, which is around 50 km further than the Toyota Mirai. For those of you figure junkies, Honda boasts the fuel cell stack has a power output of 100 kW while the electric motor that actually drives the wheels has a maximum output of 130 kW. I'd love to tell you how that translates into a 0 to 60 mph time, but Honda hasn't revealed those figures.
Honda will begin leasing the Clarity Fuel Cell to Japanese municipalities and businesses in March 2016. It will later open sales to the general public, with entry into the U.S. and European markets following that. Right now, the Clarity Fuel Cell is priced at 7.66 million yen or $62,807. Whether it'll hold that price when offered in America is unclear.
