Back in 2002, Honda was the first automaker to introduce a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in the U.S. that was certified to meet all federal safety requirements. Since then the automaker has released two other fuel cell vehicles and is now back with a fourth that is arguably the most practical yet, the CR-V e:FCEV that is also the first to be produced in the U.S.
This CR-V has a different configuration from most FCEVs by also having a plug. The fuel cell is a device through which air and hydrogen pass across plates coated in a platinum catalyst. The catalyst triggers a chemical reaction that causes the hydrogen to combine with oxygen to produce water and a stream of electrons that can be used to power a drive motor (or any other electrical device).
All of the fuel cell vehicles that have been previously produced by Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and GM can be considered hybrids. They have all had smaller (typically about 1.5-kWh) batteries like those found in gasoline-fueled hybrids such as the Toyota Prius or CR-V hybrid. The battery is used to provide regenerative braking, capturing kinetic energy when the vehicle slows to charge the battery and releasing it during acceleration to reduce the transient load on the fuel cell and improve efficiency.
The CR-V e:FCEV instead has a 17.7-kWh battery pack that can be charged from a plug to deliver an EPA-rated 29 miles of driving range. The fuel cell is then used to continue charging the battery and extending the driving range to 270 miles. Having a larger battery like this to handle the transient driving loads, allows for the use of a smaller fuel stack that mostly operates in a steady state condition, thus reducing the cost of the system.
Honda isn’t the first company to use this sort of configuration. In early 2007, Ford unveiled the HySeries Drive Edge concept. This Edge also used a lithium ion battery that was meant to provide about 50 miles of driving range and a fuel cell as a range extender. Ford was planning to produce at least 100 of these for a real world test fleet, but the project was canceled in 2008 as the global financial situation and Ford’s own finances began to worsen. Since then other automakers including Audi have shown similar concepts but never have ever made it to series production.
Honda will be producing these CR-Vs at its Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio. PMC is a low-volume manufacturing plant adjacent to Honda’s main assembly plant in the town near Columbus and was previously the home of the NSX.
The fuel cell stack is the product of a joint development program with General Motors and is manufactured at a joint-venture factory in Brownstown Township, just south of Detroit. That facility was originally built to assemble battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt. Unlike Honda, GM has abandoned plans to build light duty vehicles powered by fuel cells, but is using its branded version, the Hydrotec Power Cube for a variety of programs including locomotives, aircraft auxiliary power units, and long haul trucks with Navistar.
In addition to the battery mounted under the floor, the CR-V has two cylindrical hydrogen tanks, one beneath the rear seat, and a second larger one behind the seat and above the rear axle which looks like it consumes about ⅓ of the rear cargo area.
Since California is currently the only state with any hydrogen stations, it will be the only place where the CR-V e:FCEV is available for now. Honda hasn’t announced how much it will cost to lease the CR-V when it becomes available this fall. Fortunately, the plug-in capability means that it will be usable for most daily driving without having to visit a hydrogen station except for longer trips. There are currently only 52 public hydrogen stations in California after Shell recently closed the seven stations it was operating.
Given the extremely slow pace of building hydrogen fueling infrastructure in the U.S. it seems increasingly unlikely that fuel cell technology will gain much of a foothold for consumer vehicles in this market anytime in the foreseeable future. Instead, the trucking market, where fewer stations are required on defined routes is much more likely to get traction.
Despite these challenges, Honda, Toyota and Hyundai are continuing to persist in trying to develop a market for fuel cell vehicles.
