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The Honda FCX is a fuel cell automobile manufactured by Honda. It is a two-door, four-seat vehicle, with a range of 170 miles, and is said to be entirely silent in operation.

The city of San Francisco leased two FCX's in 2005, as part of an initiative to provide city officials with clean transportation.

The 2005 FCX uses front-wheel drive and has a maximum output of 107 horsepower and 201 foot-pounds of torque. The type of fuel cell used is a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell. Honda originally only leased the FCX to certain corporate and government entities. On 29 June 2005 Honda leased an FCX to its first non-commercial customer; Jon and Sandy Spallino of Redondo Beach, California.

The FCX requires a big step up to the interior due to the engine mounted beneath the seats but has features like traction control, cruise control, automatic climate control, CD player, power windows, power locks and power heated mirrors. The FCX seats four adults comfortably. The only thing new for 2006 versions available for lease is the Satellite Navigation System.

Production Version
At the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, Honda announced that it would make a production version of the concept FCX it had shown at the 2005 Tokyo Auto show. The production version will closely resemble the concept, although it is unknown if some of the concept's more radical features, such as a tilting instrument panel, will be included.

Hydrogen as a source of fuel to power cars is all the hype these days. Automakers are investing hundreds of millions developing hydrogen fuel cells, and American taxpayers are contributing as part of a $1.8 billion 10-year federal grant to underwrite research. It seems you can hardly get through a newspaper these days without reading about these "cars that don't pollute." Although it's true that what comes out the tailpipe of a fuel-cell vehicle is plain ol' water, getting the hydrogen into the tank is hardly a pollution-free task.

Many advocates of fuel cells often suggest electrolysis—producing hydrogen from water using electricity—as one process that could reduce our dependence on fossil fuel. But in all the fuss over hydrogen, what's being overlooked is the fact that it takes about 20 percent more energy to drive a mile on hydrogen produced by electrolysis than on gasoline. And although a fuel cell itself produces no greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen), the process of producing hydrogen via electrolysis releases roughly 24 percent more of these gases than producing and burning gasoline in a vehicle. Some suggest generating this huge amount of electricity in a pollution-free fashion—using solar cells, for example—but it's far too costly for now.

However, most hydrogen today is produced from natural gas via a process that is about 60-percent energy efficient (compared with 80 percent for gasoline refining). But since fuel cells powering electric motors are much more efficient than gasoline-powered engines, their overall efficiency is about 10 percent better—and they also produce about 45 percent fewer greenhouse gases. However, if all cars were powered by cells fueled by hydrogen from natural gas, overall natural-gas consumption would increase by 66 percent. And most of that natural gas is sitting underground in the Middle East.


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Three Days, Three Full Tanks
Even so, Honda is proceeding with the development of fuel-cell-powered cars, and in fact, this FCX is the fifth version—the first one was introduced in 1999. The reason you don't see them on the road is they're produced in tiny batches and not sold to the public. Its exterior size and shape have remained constant while many improvements have been made to the fuel-cell powertrain. The current hydrogen Honda is 63 percent more powerful than the 1999 version, and the size of the fuel-cell stack—the powerplant itself—has been cut in half. The previous-generation FCX was powered by fuel cells manufactured by Ballard Power Systems, but this latest fuel-cell stack was developed in-house.
A fuel cell brings together hydrogen gas (in this case compressed in the FCX's two tanks at 5000 psi) and oxygen from the air to create electricity. The byproduct of this process is water, which is sent dribbling out the tailpipe. The energy is used to directly power an electric motor that is connected to the front wheels. One of the problems with fuel cells is lousy throttle response, caused by an inability to increase electrical output quickly enough. An "ultra-capacitor" deals with this problem by supplementing the electrical requirements when needed.

Think of this ultra-capacitor as a battery, except that a battery undergoes a chemical reaction during charge and discharge, which makes it less efficient than the ultra-capacitor. Capacitors are measured in farads, and this one is rated at
9.2 f. As capacitors go, it is huge, but a typical gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle has two to three times as much energy available to assist with acceleration.

The FCX is similar in size to a Civic Si hatchback—about two inches shorter, but 2.6 inches wider and a whopping 8.1 inches taller. It weighs a hefty 3692 pounds, which is 952 more than the Civic. However, a benefit of having the fuel-cell components spread out [see diagram] is a weight distribution of 54.5/45.5 front to rear, which is more balanced than that of a typical front-driver.

On the outside, the FCX could pass for a regular car. In fact, it was quite surprising how little attention this car drew despite its rarity and hysterical decals. Clues of the FCX's very different nature are few: In front, the low, gaping mouth looks a little out of place, but the FCX needs lots of cooling air—hence, its three radiators. Two small ones on the sides cool the electric motor and drivetrain components, and a large center-mounted unit maintains the fuel-cell-stack temperature.
Open a door, and there's more of a step up into the cabin than expected. Look down to see why. The passenger compartment sits high atop the fuel-cell stack. And the luggage space in back is just four cubic feet because the large ultra-capacitor resides at an angle behind the rear seat.

Inside, the FCX looks like a typical Honda, which is to say, extremely well done. One staffer commented, "The fit and finish of this interior is better than that of some Big Three production cars." The FCX even has amenities such as automatic climate control, a radio/CD player, and traction and cruise controls. Once situated in the driver's seat, we found the surroundings to be familiar.

To start, turn the key to the run position and wait. A bar graph displays how long it will take to boot up—much like starting the Windows routine on a computer. During our time with the FCX, temperatures were quite mild and startup took just 5 to 10 seconds, but when parked overnight in freezing conditions, that can be more like 45 seconds. After a handful of clicks and whirs, a "Ready to Drive" message is displayed. Put the gearshift lever in "D" just like any automatic, but in this case the transmission is a single set of gears, i.e., no shifting, making acceleration buttery smooth.

Pummel the so-called gas pedal, and a tach-like gauge fills up with blue bars until it pegs "8," which, in this case, means 80 kilowatts (107 horsepower) are being produced. Yellow bars appear on top of the blue ones to show how much the ultra-capacitor is helping out.

This hydrogen car went from standstill to 60 mph in 13.0 seconds, at which point the ultra-capacitor's output is pretty well used up. Hold the pedal to the floor for another six seconds, and the quarter-mile goes by. Pin it for more than another minute, and it's likely you'll hit the 92-mph top speed we recorded.

This may sound slow, but in real-world driving, the FCX feels quite peppy due to 201 pound-feet of torque available at a standstill—much quicker than its piddling 107 horsepower might suggest. And it has no problem keeping up with 80-mph traffic on the highway.

Cruising around, we're surprised at how quietly and smoothly the FCX operates. There are a few electric-car-type whirs and even a high-pitched whine every once in a while, but our measured cabin noise showed just 70 dBA during wide-open-throttle acceleration to 70 mph, which is equal to an Acura RL's.

Other necessary systems have been integrated extremely well. The electric power steering feels about right, and the regenerative brakes are among the most natural-feeling ones we've used. Take your foot off the brake, and the car creeps at a realistic "idle" speed; it seems no detail of making a hydrogen car act like a gasoline car has been overlooked.

The EPA rates hydrogen-powered vehicles on a miles-per-kilogram (mpkg) basis, which is roughly the energy equivalent of a mile per gallon using gasoline. The FCX is rated at 62 mpkg city and 51 mpkg highway, which the EPA equates to a range of 190 miles with its 3.75-kilogram (or 8.3 pounds) hydrogen capacity. We, however, averaged about 130 miles from each of three full tanks, yielding a hydrogen economy of about 35 mpkg, although we weren't able to measure the amount of hydrogen we added [see sidebar].

Before the FCX can become a mass-produced reality, Honda still has a few monster problems to overcome. The company says a fuel-cell vehicle is 100 times as expensive to produce as a vehicle powered by a traditional internal-combustion engine. The powertrain is three times as large and heavy as a conventional unit. And although the latest FCX can operate in subfreezing temperatures, it still can't manage the 300-plus-mile fuel range of most production cars.

Honda plans to get one FCX in the hands of a consumer this year, because up until now all 14 have been leased to a state or city government. However, Honda needs to get the car's size, weight, and cost down significantly, and hydrogen manufacturers have to produce the fuel cleanly and efficiently before maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to buy one of these someday.

CSABA CSERE
I'm on record with my doubts about the future hydrogen economy—at least until we can cheaply make the stuff without using fossil fuel. That said, this FCX certainly demonstrates that you can build a viable car powered by a fuel cell. When I first drove an FCX in late 2002, I was impressed by the car's smooth powertrain and near-production level of finish. This latest model, with Honda's own fuel-cell stack, runs even better. Although its measured performance is modest, the electric motor's generous torque and instant response give the car plenty of punch in everyday driving—sufficient for 80-mph freeway traffic. Now if we only had some hydrogen.

CORA WEBER
Although there are more than a few unresolved issues concerning the FCX in particular, and hydrogen power in general, the essential question with a vehicle such as this is: To what extent does its "alternativeness" interfere with its "carness"? The surprising answer: not much. Despite the electric-golf-cart sensation of going from motionless quietude to instantly squirting forward at a stab of the throttle—and whirring sounds that would be more at home at an airport—the overall driving experience of the jacked-up, fuel-cell-laden FCX is much like that of any other Honda. Not a small feat, regardless of the power source.

LARRY WEBSTER
You have to give Honda credit for building a fuel-cell car that feels like a car and not some science experiment. It's slow, feels heavy, and registers on the negative end of the fun-to-drive scale. But after a few minutes of driving, we thought it felt like just another car, and considering what's going on to generate forward propulsion, that's amazing. As an appliance to get you around, you could actually do worse. Although I don't think the gas engine is in any danger of being replaced, I still get misty-eyed thinking about that possibility. A whirring electric motor doesn't, well, do it for me. But Honda has the fuel-cell car working well enough. Now it just needs some fun.

HONDA FCX
Vehicle type: front-motor, front-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 3-door coupe

Estimated price as tested: $200,000 (only available by lease to select customers at $500 per month)

Options on test car: none

Major standard accessories: power windows and locks, remote locking, A/C, cruise control, tilting steering wheel, rear defroster
Sound system: Honda AM-FM radio/CD player, 4 speakers

ENGINE
Type: proton exchange membrane fuel cell
Fuel-delivery system: compressed hydrogen gas

ELECTRIC MOTOR
Type: 3-phase AC permanent-magnet synchronous
Power (SAE net): 107 bhp @ 4000 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 201 lb-ft @ 0 rpm
Max motor speed: 11,000 rpm

DRIVETRAIN
Transmission: 1-speed direct drive

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 99.3 in
Track, front/rear: 59.1/60.2 in
Length/width/height: 164.0/69.3/64.8 in
Ground clearance: 5.9 in
Curb weight: 3692 lb
Weight distribution, F/R: 54.5/45.5%
Curb weight per horsepower: 34.5 lb
Fuel capacity: 8.3 lb at 5000 psi/41.1 gal

CHASSIS/BODY
Type: unit construction
Body material: welded steel and aluminum stampings

INTERIOR
SAE volume, front seat (C/D est): 49 cu ft
rear seat (C/D est): 34 cu ft
luggage: 4 cu ft
Front-seat adjustments: fore-and-aft, seatback angle
Restraint systems, front: manual 3-point belts, driver and passenger front airbags
rear: manual 3-point belts

SUSPENSION
Front: ind, strut located by a control arm,
coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear: ind; strut located by 1 trailing link, 3 lateral links, and 1 diagonal link; coil springs; anti-roll bar

STEERING
Type: rack-and-pinion with electric power assist
Turns lock-to-lock: 3.7

BRAKES
Type: electrohydraulic by wire
Front: 11.0 x 0.9-in vented disc
Rear: 10.5 x 0.9-in vented disc

WHEELS AND TIRES
Wheel size/type: 6.0 x 15 in/cast aluminum
Tires: Yokohama AVS EF1 E-spec, 205/60R-15 91H
Test inflation pressures, F/R: 35/35 psi
Spare: none

C/D TEST RESULTS
ACCELERATION: Seconds
Zero to 30 mph: 3.6
40 mph: 5.7
50 mph: 8.7
60 mph: 13.0
70 mph: 19.7
80 mph: 31.0
Street start, 5-60 mph: 13.1
Top-gear acceleration, 30-50 mph: 5.1
50-70 mph: 10.5
Standing 1/4-mile: 19.0 sec @ 69 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 92 mph

BRAKING
70-0 mph @ impending lockup: 188 ft

HANDLING
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.74 g
Understeer: minimal moderate excessive

FUEL ECONOMY
EPA city driving: 62 mpkg
EPA highway driving: 51 mpkg
C/D-observed (est): 35 mpkg

INTERIOR SOUND LEVEL
Idle: 28 dBA
Full-throttle acceleration: 70 dBA
70-mph cruising: 71 dBA

Honda expects its global sales in 2005 to have risen by five percent from a year earlier to a record 3.35 million vehicles, The Associated Press reported, citing Honda's president.

Japan's No.3 automaker also estimated its production of vehicles worldwide to have gone up 7.2 percent from last year to 3.41 million cars, also a record, according to Honda President and Chief Executive Officer Takeo Fukui.

Although the company forecasts the number of cars sold in Japan in 2005 to drop by 3.1 percent to 720,000 cars, it expects sales outside Japan to have risen this year.

U.S. car sales in 2005 are expected to total 1.45 million vehicles, a 4 percent increase, while those in Europe are projected to have climbed 11 percent to 285,000. Honda also expects its China car sales to have jumped 19 percent to 260,000 units.

Honda also forecast continued sales increases for 2006.

Honda announced that the all-new 2006 Honda Civic Si Coupe is on sale with a suggested retail price of $19,990.

New features on all 2006 Si models include:

197-horsepower, 2.0-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine
6-speed manual transmission with helical-type limited slip differential
EPA-estimated city/highway fuel economy of 23/32 miles per gallon
Standard 17-inch alloy wheels with 215/45 R17 87V tires
Side curtain airbags, front side airbags and dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags

The Civic Si Coupe is available with a Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with Voice Activation for the suggested retail price of $21,740. High-performance summer tires are also available as a factory option, bringing the suggested retail price to $20,190 ($21,940 on vehicles with navigation).

Hybrids seem to be having the same impact the Volkswagen Beetle had on our society back in the ’60s and ’70s. Hybrids are seen as anti-establishment symbols, the anti-status status symbol. But there has been some discontent with these feel-good cars as owners have found they’re not getting the advertised mileage. So if you’re on the verge of being overcome by the environmentally correct need to get behind the wheel of a hybrid, be advised that they don’t all work in the same way. You’ll need to curb some of your speedy habits and learn some new driving skills to achieve their fuel-economy claims.

In a hybrid, the trick is to drive like a grandmother. You have to accelerate away from a stop slowly enough to minimize the role of the gasoline engine and maximize the role of the electric motor. Very simply, hybrids use an electric motor as a supporting source of power that doesn’t require gasoline, and that’s the whole point. Indeed, a Toyota Prius can pull away from a stop using only its electric motor, although the Civic hybrid shown here cannot.

There are two major reasons why the Civic can’t do that. First, it has a weakling 20-hp electric motor, whereas the Prius’s makes a robust 67 horses, so it’s better able to move almost 3000 pounds off a dime. Second, the Honda’s engine and electric motor are sandwiched together and then connected to the transmission, so if one is running, so is the other. The Prius’s electric motor and gas engine, on the other hand, are hooked up at separate points to the transmission, and therefore, one power source can be driven while the other is shut off. The Toyota system makes electric-only driving easy and is the primary advantage of that configuration. Honda’s hybrid system is more simple and compact and is more easily adaptable than the Toyota system to different vehicles.

Interestingly, although the Civic can’t move away from a stop using only the electric motor, Honda says there is one situation where its hybrid can run on just electricity—at about 15 to 20 mph when cruising on a flat surface at a steady speed with a fully charged, or nearly so, battery pack. Since the electric motor and the gas engine rotate inseparably, the Civic must cut off fuel to the engine and use its variable-valve-timing system to close the engine’s valves and make it easier for the electric motor to do its job. The Civic’s only giveaway that it’s running on electricity alone is the digital bar graph that lights up suddenly when juice is being sent to the motor. So it might not have the beans to get the Civic going from a stop, but the 20-hp electric motor does have enough gusto to keep the car moving at low speeds—all by itself, if only briefly. However, it’s such a short span of time under such specific and not-often-encountered conditions that the fuel savings are likely minuscule. Honda probably makes the claim to equal those of its major rival hybrid, the Prius.

The second big trick that hybrids can do is recharge their own batteries. The recharging occurs when you lift off the throttle, when you hit the brakes, or when cruising if the computer determines that the battery needs charging. When you get off the gas in a hybrid, the primary source of deceleration is the electric motor, not the gas engine as in a conventional car. Moreover, the hybrid uses a special electric motor that can also operate as a generator. Send this electric motor electricity, and it will produce power; rotate it using external forces, and it will produce electricity. Using the car’s momentum to spin this motor, therefore, creates electricity, which is sent back to the battery pack. That’s called regenerative braking. Hitting the brakes lightly will cause the electric motor to resist motion further, and in doing so, even more electricity is produced to send to the batteries.

The Civic has a digital display that shows how much electricity you’re sending to the battery or how much you’re using up. Brake moderately hard, and you’ll light up the maximum number of green LEDs. Hit the brake pedal harder, and you’ll activate the conventional brakes, just as you would in any other car. It’s a challenge to send the maximum amount of charge without employing the traditional brakes.

The final benefit of a hybrid is that the gas engine shuts off when you come to a full stop, thereby saving fuel. In the first Civic hybrid, if the air conditioning was on and the econ button was not engaged, the engine wouldn’t shut down. This latest hybrid solves that problem by adding an electric-motor-driven portion to the A/C compressor. So, at a stop, the electric compressor keeps the cabin cool. As soon as you lift your foot off the brake, the gas engine whirs to life again.

The EPA testifies that the Civic hybrid gets 49 mpg in city driving and 51 on the highway. But those numbers are rarely achieved. To get mileage in the high-40-mpg range requires gradual acceleration, timid cruising speeds, and cautious use of the throttle. Suffer a short lapse in concentration or accelerate immoderately, and fuel economy will suffer. Fact is, to do this right, you will drive more slowly than you ever have.

Honda will introduce a hybrid version of its new Fit subcompact as early as 2007, The Associated Press reported, citing leading Japanese business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

The Fit hybrid is expected to sell at about 1.4 million yen ($11,800), about 200,000 yen ($1,600) more than the regular Fit, the report said.

Honda sold 390,000 Fit cars in 2005 around the world and plans to start selling the model in the U.S. this year, the story said.

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Maybe it's the new 2006 Accord Coupe that's turning up the heat. Sporting a sleek new exterior and a luxurious interior, the Accord Coupe proves that you don't have to choose between style and comfort. 4-cylinder models feature an i-VTEC® 166-horsepower engine, and the 3.0-liter, VTEC® V-6 pumps out 244 horses. The EX V-6 6-Speed Accord Coupe is a technological marvel that features unique 17" wheels, a 180-watt 6-disc in-dash CD premium audio system and manual transmission for greater power and control. Thank goodness for the dual-zone automatic climate control system (on all EX-L and EX V-6 models) to help cool you off when the temperature rises.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co. plans to sell a low-cost hybrid car, a version of its popular Fit subcompact, a Japanese daily reported, signaling the auto maker's long-term commitment to the fuel-sipping powertrain.

Japan's third-biggest auto maker aims to sell the Fit hybrid as early as next year for around ¥1.4 million ($11,790), or about ¥200,000 more than the gasoline-only version, likely making it the world's first hybrid to cost less than ¥2 million ($16,840), the leading Japanese business daily said Wednesday.

The model could be launched in the business year starting April 2007 and would be sold globally, the paper said.

A spokesman denied Honda (Research) had made any decision on whether to hybridize the Fit, but added it had the technological wherewithal to mount its hybrid system, which twins an electric motor and a conventional engine to save fuel, on most of its vehicles.

Chief Executive Takeo Fukui has long said the price premium for a hybrid over a gasoline-only car needs to fall below ¥200,000 ($1,680) for the powertrain to go mainstream.

With hybrid systems still costing auto makers -- and customers -- thousands of dollars, Fukui has said Honda had not made a strategic decision yet to produce the gasoline-electric vehicles in big volumes, unlike rival Toyota Motor Corp., which has aggressively promoted their proliferation.

A decision to offer a hybrid version of the mass-volume Fit -- Honda's best-selling model in Japan and due to debut in the United States soon -- would suggest the auto maker is a step closer to committing to the powertrain longer-term.

Honda also sells hybrid versions of its two best-selling cars, the Accord and Civic, at a premium of around ¥300,000 ($2,525). Its hybrid-only Insight coupe was the first gasoline-electric car to be sold in the United States.

Honda is developing a smaller motor and battery to reduce the hybrid's cost and weight, the Nihon Keizai said. It will twin the hybrid unit with a one-liter engine for the Fit, the paper added.

Toyota also aims to halve the production and selling cost of a hybrid system. It currently sells many of its hybrid models at a premium of around ¥500,000 ($4,200).

Honda, Toyota and Ford Motor Co. are so far the world's sole mass-producers of hybrid passenger cars. Laggards like General Motors Corp. argue that hybrid systems are most suitable for large vehicles due to the added weight from the extra components.

Compact cars are also generally fuel-efficient to begin with, and the extra cost of a hybrid car may be more difficult to justify, depending on how much can be saved at the pump.

The newspaper said the Fit hybrid would have fuel economy comparable to that of the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, which the auto makers advertise in Japan as getting around 35-36 km to a liter, or about 82-84 miles per gallon.

The most fuel-efficient gasoline-only Fit, with a 1.3-liter engine and continuous variable transmission, gets 24 km to a liter, or 56 miles per gallon.