Honda's Next-generation Fuel Cell Stack Works Even at Minus 20 degrees Celsius

Honda Motor Co., the Japanese automaker, has announced the development of the Honda FC Stack--a remarkably compact, next-generation fuel cell stack that performs well and starts up even at minus 20 degrees Celsius.

The new fuel cell stack's newly developed aromatic electrolyte membranes also give it durability at high temperatures, so it can generate electricity at temperatures ranging from -20 degrees Celsius to 95 degrees Celsius, which was difficult to achieve with conventional fluorine electrolyte membranes. The company has also adopted the world's first stamped-metal separator structure with a simplified structure that is only enclosed by panels where conventional fuel cell stacks had a complex structure. This structural change reduces the number of components by almost 50 percent compared to conventional stacks, and delivers a world-leading performance by more than doubling the output density. Furthermore, the fuel economy of Honda's test car "FCX" equipped with this FC stack has also improved by over 10% due to the enhanced system's efficiency.

The company obtained certification for the FCX from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on September 24, 2003, and has started test driving it on public roads. The FCX will be used as Honda's lead-car at the 80th Tokyo-Hakone Intercollegiate Ekiden long-distance road race in January 2004.

Honda began researching fuel cell technology in the 1980s. It has been conducting a series of fuel cell vehicle driving tests with 1999 and 2001 models equipped with stacks they have developed. This new product is a next-generation fuel cell stack that not only realizes the goal of excellent driving performance and low-temperature startup but, by replacing specialized materials with more readily-available ones, will also enable mass production and recycling in the future when fuel cell vehicles are more widely used.



Posted: 2003/12/21 10:57:52 AM
Japanese version