Honda Next-Gen FCV Now Due in 2016 in Japan

Honda will begin retailing its next-generation hydrogen fuel-cell-vehicle in March 2016 in Japan, with the car’s debut in the U.S. and Europe to follow.

The 2016 timeframe is later than the 2015 introduction date Honda placed on the car a year ago when it detailed an FCV concept at the 2013 Los Angeles auto show.

The technical specifications of the latest Honda concept, called FCV and unveiled in Japan Monday morning, closely mimic those of last year’s L.A. show vehicle, including a range of 300 miles (483 km), up from the 240-mile (386-km) range of Honda’s last production FCV, the FCX Clarity.

The projected range matches that of other FCVs, including the already-on-sale Hyundai Tucson and Toyota’s upcoming model, dubbed simply “FCV” and going on sale in the U.S. next year.

Other details of the Honda concept shown in Japan Monday morning that match those of the 2013 L.A. show car include a fuel-cell stack 33% smaller than that of the FCX Clarity, and with a power density of 3.1 kW/L, up 60% from the Clarity’s 1.85 kW/L. Total stack output of around 100 kW (134 hp) is the same as the FCX Clarity’s and the Tucson’s.

The biggest difference between today’s Honda FCV Concept and the one shown last year in L.A., dubbed FCEV for fuel-cell electric vehicle, appears to be styling, which in pictures is less futuristic than its predecessor’s thanks to tighter-fitting sheet metal.

Honda describes the FCV Concept’s body as “low and wide” with “clean character lines.” It also says the car seats five people, up from four in the FCX Clarity.

Honda says its production FCV launching in 2016 will boast a powertrain that fits entirely in the front-engine compartment, which allows it to be used in a variety of vehicles.

In the FCX Clarity, the stack was in the center tunnel and the electric motor placed low in the front.

Honda pegs refueling time of its next-generation FCV at three to five minutes at a pressure of 10,153 psi (70 MPa), roughly the same metrics as the Tucson.

The Japanese automaker has been working on FCVs in a public fashion for more than a decade.

In 2002, it introduced what it billed as the world’s first production fuel-cell vehicle, the FCX, which became the first FCV to be certified by the U.S. EPA and the California Air Resources Board.

There were many firsts with the FCX and its successor, the FCX Clarity, such as the latter being the first dedicated-platform FCV, with a dedicated production line. But Honda, like other automakers with FCVs, still has struggled to find footing with them in the market.

In 2008, the automaker said it hoped to lease 200 FCX Claritys over a 3-year-period in the U.S. and Japan.

It’s unclear what the volume has been in Japan , but WardsAuto data shows just 46 FCX Claritys were leased in the U.S. from 2008 through October 2013.

In today’s release, Honda makes no mention of a lease price for its next-generation production FCV nor if it will allow outright purchases.

Honda leased the FCX Clarity for $600 per month. Today, Hyundai leases the Tucson for $499 per month. Both prices are inclusive of maintenance and Hyundai’s includes refueling costs.

Getting sufficient infrastructure in place has been a key roadblock to greater consumer acceptance of FCVs, with most of the limited number of refueling stations in the U.S. located in California.

Honda is expected to announce details of “its commitment to help expand and accelerate” California’s hydrogen refueling stations at this week’s 2014 L.A. auto show.

Last year, Honda joined public-private partnership H2USA to help expand refueling stations throughout the U.S.

In 2013, it also partnered with General Motors to develop next-gen fuel-cell technologies to be introduced around 2020.

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