Honda FCX Clarity & Home Energy Station
2 Sep, 2008
13 Comments 
Wouldn’t it be nice if the car company that sold you the car also sold you its fuel? Or the means by which to produce the fuel? It sounds good for the car companies and it sounds even better for the consumer. The only obvious loser will be the fuel companies… and we all love them, right?
Perhaps the idea is more closer to reality than many think, at least if Honda has its way with the new generation of hydrogen fuel cell cars currently under development.
Honda Japan has built and is now operating an experimental ‘Home Energy Station’ which is actively generating hydrogen from natural gas for use in fuel cell vehicles. It also happens to supply electricity and hot water to the home to which it’s attached to.
Okay, so not only does Honda make cool cars (and ever cooler bikes), but soon, they will power your home with electricity and supply the warm water you shower in. Ambitious, but we like it.
The company says that by developing innovative approaches to sustainable energy, it’s reducing the environmental impact of the automobile.
How does the Home Energy Station work? Using Solar power. Oh yes, we know what you’re thinking. “But the production of solar panels create more pollution than they offset…” Correct, but not these ‘new’ Honda built, highly efficient photovoltaic cells.
Honda’s solar subsidiary in Japan, Honda Soltec Co, has been producing photovoltaic solar cells that incorporate copper, indium, gallium and selenium, as opposed to traditional panels produced from silicon. What does that mean? For a start they can capture significantly more energy making their production more worthwhile.
Honda plans to use the thin film solar cells to power its own fuel cell vehicles – like the FCX Clarity (pictured) – in a completely carbon free energy system.
The Japanese giant is also developing next-generation refueling stations that would use solar power to produce hydrogen from water for powering its fuel cell vehicles.
The big question, will this science-fiction-sounding technology ever see the light of day? Honda Australia’s Managing Director, Yasuhide Mizuno, thinks so. He recently confirmed the Home Energy Station technology will be seen here in the future.
“Honda has long been conducting research into the development of hydrogen production and supply systems for a hydrogen-based society of the future,” Mr. Mizuno said. “To have the Home Energy Station available locally is a really exciting prospect and would see Honda leading the way and launching emission free cars, like the Honda FCX Clarity, in Australia.”
If Honda built the Home Energy Stations like they build their cars, they will last a few decades and never breakdown, so the prospects are making us a little too excited but the reality and practicality and of course, the cost of the technology is still uncertain.
Nonetheless, would you consider a Home Energy Station from Honda to not only power your new FCX, but also provide your house with electricity and hot water?
Location: Home / Australian Car Industry News, Car News, Environment, Fuel News, Honda, electric / ...
Print it:
-
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:25 pm
For the right price I’d buy one today.
Vote:September 2nd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Brenton, You stole my thunder…….if the price is right of course i would more than just consider it!!!
Vote:September 2nd, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Sounds like a good thing and negates the need for batteries to store the energy.
Vote:September 2nd, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Fantastic. Someone’s thinking. Can it open stubbies too?
Vote:September 2nd, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Sounds great. There was an Australian company developing Ceramic Fuel Cells that did a similar thing – installing CFC units in houses, efficiently producing clean electricity from natural gas (instead of solar power).
Either of these solutions would be an ideal partner to a Volt style of plug in hybrid.
I’d love to see the Aussie company involved in this sort of project.
Vote:September 2nd, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Yes they’re still working on it – cfcl dot com dot au
Vote:September 2nd, 2008 at 9:28 pm
I find it hard to believe that a solar panel makes more pollution in production than it offsets (especially considering the 25 year life span of panels). I would love to see some sort of link (only from a reputable source) before I believe it.
Car looks good though. Good for Honda for doing this.
Vote:September 3rd, 2008 at 9:58 am
Hopefully, there will be some kind of standardisation with the energy stations, so that you can change cars (and brands) without changing the charging station. I’m already picturing me explaining what a petrol station was to future my grandkids.
Vote:September 3rd, 2008 at 1:36 pm
SteveC, the vast majority of ’studies’ that have shown solar panels taking more energy to make than they would ever produce only refer to the first generation solar panels, back when we made solar panels like we make silicon chips for computers. Nowdays solar panels are both much for efficient (converting more received EM radiation to electricity) as well as much easier to produce. Now the energy payday is approx 1 – 4 years, depending on the strength of sunlight in your area.
www . nrel . gov / docs / fy05osti / 37322. pdf and take out the random spaces
Vote:September 3rd, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Genie thanks for your post. It backs up what I was pretty much thinking. As such I really have a problem with the following quote from this site:
“But the production of solar panels create more pollution than they offset…” Correct, but not these ‘new’ Honda built, highly efficient photovoltaic cells.
Cmon guys, you make a great website, lets not bring it down with rubbish facts.
Vote:September 4th, 2008 at 11:45 am
I agree SteveC, there does seem to be a bias/agenda that makes me far less likely to believe anything from the site.
Vote:September 5th, 2008 at 9:13 am
I think you guys need to go back to school and do a little reading comprehension lessons.
“But the production of solar panels create more pollution than they offset…” Correct, but not these ‘new’ Honda built, highly efficient photovoltaic cells.”
Umm, doesn’t it say exactly what you guys are arguing? That in the past solar panels created a lot of pollution during manufacturing, but the new generation ones don’t?
Vote:September 6th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
F1 champ: Actually the impression I get from that comment is that production of all Solar cells in the past causes greater pollution than they reduce, except for these new “Honda” cells. It doesnt specify solar cells made many years ago as polluters, it just says “production of solar cells”. As for saying new generation solar cells are less polluting, it doesnt say that at all, it only says “Honda solar cells”. I did read the post carefully , that is why I was surprised at what it said. I thought this site was better than that.
Vote: