Honda unveils Clarity Fuel Cell hydrogen vehicle at Tokyo Motor Show
The new car follows on from Toyota’s recently unveiled hydrogen powered Mirai vehicle and underlines the increasing move by major manufacturers to the production of hydrogen cars.
The Clarity is said to incorporate Honda’s most advanced technologies and is the world’s first production model of a fuel cell powered sedan to house the entire fuel cell stack and drivetrain system in the space normally occupied by the engine and transmission.
The Clarity will be commercially available in Japan from early 2016 and further information on the European launch of the vehicle will follow in 2016.
Honda says the packaging of the Clarity has been inspired by the company’s principle of ‘man maximum, machine minimum.’ Through minimising the space utilised by the powertrain, Honda has been able to achieve a level of interior space that allows five adults to be comfortably accommodated as would be expected in a conventionally powered sedan.
The size of the fuel cell stack and the power generation unit have been reduced through Honda’s advanced technologies to a size comparable to a V6 engine.
Honda believes that the development of a compact fuel cell powertrain that is applicable to a full range of vehicles will help usher in a widespread adoption of fuel cell vehicles.
Due to the continuously increasing torque provided by the high-output 130 kW (177 PS) motor with no need for gears, the Clarity achieves perfectly smooth acceleration anywhere from zero to maximum speed.
Honda is scheduled to launch the Clarity in a limited number of European markets in 2016.
