Hey does anyone on here own a Honda FCX? I am just curious to know because I have never seen this car on the road at all. I am not really sure how this car works other than it runs on a fuel cell. So if this car runs on a fuel cell does that mean you never have to fill it up? I would never buy this car, because I think it looks ugly.
Well I did some searching on the FCX. Well the car does not use gas at all, instead it take hydrogen and oxygen and converts it into electricity. The only emission the FCX produces is water vapor. That’s because a revolutionary technology allows the FCX to power its motor with electricity generated from a hydrogen-oxygen chemical reaction. With a maximum output of 80 horsepower and 201 foot-pounds of torque, the FCX’s acceleration is similar to a Honda Civic. And with a range of up to 220 miles and seating for four people, the FCX is a practical vehicle for today’s world.
Electric Power from Hydrogen Fuel
1. Fuel cells create electricity through an electrochemical process that combines hydrogen and oxygen.
2. Hydrogen fuel is fed into the anode of the fuel cell. Helped by a catalyst, hydrogen atoms are split into electrons and protons.
3. Electrons are channeled through a circuit to produce electricity.
4. Protons pass through the polymer electrolyte membrane.
Oxygen (from the air) enters the cathode and combines with the electrons and protons to form water.
5. Water vapor and heat are released as byproducts of this reaction.
Chris is right, except he forgot to add where the hydrogen comes from. In this case, Honda has had the foresight to split the hydrogen from water using a solar-power refueling station at its regional headquarters in Torrance, Calif.
In my opinion, this is the ultimate and best way to produce hydrogen as an automotive fuel. Eventually, we could all have such a system at our own homes, with solar panels on the garage roof making hydrogen fuel from tap water.
Unfortunately, many oil companies are diving into the fuel cell game because they want to make hydrogen from fossil fuels, which is very inefficient and polluting.
As a side note, I have driven the FCX -- at a press event about a year ago with a very hyper Japanese engineering whiz in the passenger seat next to me. It drove and felt just like a normal car and was very quick off the line, but power trailed off rapidly after about 40 mph and it seemed to take forever to gain speed beyond that. The most eerie thing was that the car sounds like a hair dryer. It makes almost no mechanical noises like normal cars.
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'01 Insight 5-spd, 62k miles <<leanburner
'81 Mercedes 300TD, 168k miles <<beanburner
The reason you haven't seen a FCX is because they are not for sale, and the only ones are about 2000 miles away from you in California. The California Government has about a half dozen of the million dollar a copy cars leased from Honda in their fleet. They are built on the EV Plus platform of their Nickel Metal Hydrive battery electric vehicle which 300 were leased to California residents back in the late 90's.
Not to start a whole new argument, but there are still some big hurdles that Fuel Cells have to get over. The biggest problem at this point is only recently has the life of a fuel cell been made long enough so that they would last a year in the average person's 15K mile year. Secondly is the energy efficiency issue. It takes almost twice the energy to make hydrogen and use it compared to what it would take to charge a battery electric vehicle. And unfortunately at this point the cheapest way to get hydrogen is refining it from fosil fuels, which kind of defeats the purpose.
Yes idealy some day we could extract hydrogen from water using solar arrays, but this is still very expensive to do.
Ohh yeah, the Power/water utility service in Phoenix has already installed a Hydrogen refueling station downtown
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Later, Ricky
02 Red Insight - Sold
06 Silver Civic Hybrid
92 Saturn SC2 Electric, Arizona Alt fuel plate "ZEROGAS"
Yeah your right Rick about the broblems with the fuel cells. I have read some of the problems that you have mentioned off of other site as well. Do you think that this car can get better milage than the Insight? I would say it is a possability but not sure(Probly not). Although the dash board in the FCX looks pretty cool(I still like the Insight's dash better.), here is a link to a pic of the dash:
Don't hold your breath for the FCX. I read in Consumer Reports that Honda said they don't expect to mass produce fuel cell cars for 20 years, not that I believe everything I read in CR.
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Vegan, Silver Insight totaled at 233,000 miles, Blue Insight at 188,000 miles, cat needs replaced, IMA also
I think the FCX mpg equivelent is something in the 50's range. It's really more of a mini mini van than anything, so much larger than our Insight's. So all things considered not too bad on the efficiency side of things.
http://www.eliotlabs.org/EVehicle.html
Here's the link to a former EV plus leasee with a picture of the dash. Similar to our Insight's, but in green and yellow (wouldn't that color combo go well with a citrus yellow Insight). I remember seeing a picture of the key flob as well once, it could tell you how much charge the vehicle had by pressing a button on the remote.
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Later, Ricky
02 Red Insight - Sold
06 Silver Civic Hybrid
92 Saturn SC2 Electric, Arizona Alt fuel plate "ZEROGAS"
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Honda FCX
