Hydrogen Honda Paces 2008 Bridgestone Japan IndyCar 300
By Todd Kaho
Alternative fuels gave new meaning to the phrase “clean racing” at the 2008 Bridgestone Indy Japan 300 Mile race. The Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell car was center stage, serving as the official pace car of the 2008 Indy Japan event at the Twin Ring Motegi race track in Tochigi, Japan. The FCX Clarity was far from the only green car on the race circuit, though, since IRL IndyCar series rules now dictate that all race cars must be fueled by 100 percent clean burning renewable ethanol.
To the casual observer, the thought of high power race cars and a concern for the environment simply don’t fit. Racing, however, often drives automotive technology forward at an impressive pace as race teams strive to gain a competitive edge. It’s not unusual for breakthrough technology to rapidly find its way from the track and into the production cars we drive every day. In racing, as in the rest of the automotive domain, efficiency has become a key element in the overall performance equation.
It’s not surprising that Honda, like other major automotive manufacturers, has keen interest in what happens on the race track. Utilizing the high-tech venue of open wheel racing to show off the potential of the FCX Clarity fuel cell car makes sense. In a reverse of the norm where more conventional, sometimes limited edition, production cars set the pace at major races, this Honda is even more advanced than the high-tech vehicles competing at Motegi. Its fuel cell stack utilizes hydrogen to produce the electricity that powers the car, emitting but water vapor and heat, but no CO2, along the way.
The FCX Clarity is scheduled to go into limited release to a very small number of select drivers in Southern California this summer and later this fall in Japan. U.S. deliveries to these 50 or so customers will come at a cost of $600 per month in a three year lease program that includes insurance and routine maintenance. The program will track consumers’ real world experiences with the new technology in an effort to advance fuel cell use and build infrastructure.
The FCX Clarity incorporates Honda’s latest V Flow proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack that’s 65 percent smaller than the previous generation FC stack. Its vertical configuration and smaller size allow housing it in the Clarity’s center tunnel. Despite its smaller size, fuel cell stack power is improved from the previous version’s 86 kilowatts (kW) to 100 kW in the V Flow design. Power gains are impressive, too, with the new design bringing a 50 percent improvement by density and 67 percent by mass.
Major improvements have been made in battery design to store power produced by the fuel cell and collected by regenerative braking. The new advanced lithium-ion battery pack is 40 percent lighter and 50 percent smaller than the earlier FCX ultracapacitor design. The FCX Clarity is powered by a 100 kW permanent magnet AC synchronous electric motor that produces more than 188 lbs-ft of torque. The FCX is said to offer a range of 270 miles on a fill-up of its 171 liter compressed hydrogen storage tank. Economy is exceptional, with the car delivering the equivalent of 68 gasoline miles-per-gallon for combined city/highway driving.
Although the disparity in speed between race cars and production cars is great, Honda’s FCX Clarity wasn’t destined to have any trouble staying out in front of the Indy cars during pace laps. The electronically governed 100 mph top speed of this hydrogen vehicle is capable of being recalibrated for special duty like this. Powered by ethanol and hydrogen, this milestone race could be the start of a new generation of clean and green racing.
Want to know more about Honda’s fuel cell program? Be sure to check out these articles on GreenCar.com:
Honda FCX Clarity Zero Emissions Fuel Cell Car
Honda FCX Clarity and Home Hydrogen Fueling Stations
GM and Honda Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles
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