Honda unveiled a new hydrogen-powered fuel-cell concept car on Wednesday which runs on a refueling unit that also supplies electricity and hot water for the home.
The FCX concept uses the home energy station, which generates hydrogen from natural gas supplied to households, Honda said as it unveiled the vehicle at a press preview at the Tokyo Motor Show east of the capital.
The system refines natural gas to provide the vehicle with hydrogen which is mixed with oxygen to power the car.
It can also supply electricity to the home and recover heat during power generation for domestic water heating.
As well as reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 40%, the system is expected to halve the total cost of household electricity, gas and vehicle fuel, Honda said.
The FCX also boasts the lowest floor platform in the world by accommodating a motor, hydrogen tank and other components vertically.
The vehicle is equipped with sensors and cameras that recognises the driver’s physical features and unlocks the doors as he or she approaches. The system also automatically adjusts the steering wheel, accelerator pedal and instrument panel to the optimal position for the driver.
One day Honda hopes to find a way to power cars with no emissions.
“Ultimately, what we should aim for is to circulate zero-pollution energy through solar panels,” Honda president Takeo Fukui told reporters.
“There are many methods [to achieve the goal]. En route to that, we will use natural gas, which is conventional infrastructure, and gradually add use of solar-panel energy,” he said.
For those drivers more preocupied with pets than pollution, Honda also unveiled the WOW Concept — a sliding-door vehicle offering motorists a cage for their canine friends and other small animals in front of the rear passenger seat. – AFP