20189212

16mm
Fuel Cell Vehicle Development and Toward Hydrogen Society

Takashi Moriya 1)
1) Honda R&D Co., Ltd.
4630 Shimotakanezawa, Haga-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi, 321-3393, Japan (E-mail: takashi_moriya@n.t.rd.honda.co.jp)
Presented at EVS 31 & EVTeC 2018, Kobe, Japan, October 1 - 3, 2018

ABSTRACT:

Honda leased the newly developed fuel cell vehicle, the CLARITY FUEL CELL, in March 2016.
A downsized fuel cell system with high performance and durability has been realized by an evolved
structure of a fuel cell stack and by controlling the water content distribution in the catalyst coated
membrane, applying fundamental technologies to predict the fuel cell lifetime. As a result, fuel cell
system, voltage control unit, and motor unit are integrated into one fuel cell powertrain system. This
highly integrated design allowed installation of the entire fuel cell powertrain system under the front
hood of the car. In order to popularize fuel cells, continuous efforts for cost reduction (the
development of specifications and processes) will be essential.
Moreover, Honda is pursuing a hydrogen society actively under the key concepts “generate,” “use,”
and “get connected” for realization of a recycling-based society.

KEY WORDS: Fuel Cell Stack, Fuel Cell Vehicle, Hydrogen, Electrolysis

can be easily converted into electricity using means including

fuel cells and gas turbines (Fig.2).
1. INTRODUCTION
Since the latter half of the 1980s, Honda has maintained a focus
on urban air pollution, global warming, and energy issues as
three areas to be addressed in its automotive developments, and
has worked to realize measures to respond to these issues.
Honda considers the fuel cell vehicle (FCV) to be the ultimate
next-generation clean automobile, with the potential to respond
to all of these issues simultaneously, and has engaged in a
continuous process of FCV development (Fig.1).

Fig.2 Multi-resource of Hydrogen

At present, the emission of CO2 when hydrogen is produced

represents an issue, but in the future, the production of hydrogen
using renewable energy creates the potential to offer an energy
source that emits no CO2. The use of fuel cells also has the
potential to address the issue of uneven fossil fuels distribution,
and thus presents further advantages from the perspective of
energy security.

2. Fuel Cell Vehicle Development

Fig.1 Environmental and Energy Issues

Fuel cells produce electricity and water through the reaction of
hydrogen and oxygen.
In automotive applications they emit no atmospheric pollutants or
CO2, making them effective as a means of responding both to air
pollution and global warming.
The hydrogen used by the fuel is a secondary energy carrier. It is
able to be produced using various forms of primary energy, and
As a response to environmental and energy issues, Honda has
been engaged in the development of technologies to increase the
efficiency of internal combustion engines (ICE), as well as
technologies to realize further increases in efficiency through
electrification (Fig.3). Among these efforts, Honda began
research on fuel cells at the end of the 1980s, and progressed
from basic research to the development of fuel cell stacks.

Copyright © 2018 Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. All rights reserved

In a world first, the company lease marketed a fuel cell vehicle in
December 2002 [1] [2], and in 2004 installed its first Honda-built
fuel cell stack [3] [4].
Lease marketing of the sedan-type FCX Clarity began in 2008 [5]
[6], and that of the CLARITY FUEL CELL in March 2016
(Fig.4) [7].
Fig.3 Honda’s Initiatives to Realize
Fig.4 Evolution of Honda FCV
At 3.1 kW/L, the fuel cell stack employed in the CLARITY
FUEL CELL has a volume power density at the world’s top level,
60% higher than that of previous stacks (Fig.5).
The reduction in the size of the stack was accompanied by
increased impact toughness at collision. This made it possible to
realize a fuel cell powertrain comprising a hydrogen supply
system, an air supply system, a voltage converter, and a motor at
an equivalent size to a V6 powertrain (Fig.6). It was therefore
possible to fit the developed fuel cell powertrain in the same
position as an existing gasoline powertrain, allowing use of a
Fig.5 Comparison with Output Density of Fuel Cell Stack
Copyright © 2018 Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. All rights reserved
20189212
gasoline vehicle chassis with the space to seat five passengers. In
addition, the use of a 70 MPa hydrogen tank has helped to ensure
a driving range of approximately 750 km, and has made it
possible to fill the tank with hydrogen in approximately three
minutes (Fig.7).
Fig.6 Fuel Cell System for CLARITY FUEL CELL
Fig.7 Specification of Honda CLARITY FUEL CELL
3. Fuel Cell Stack Development
In normal fuel cell stacks, the unit formed by an MEA and two
separators is considered one cell. Honda has reduced the size of
its fuel cell stacks by employing a wave configuration that
increases the gas diffusion performance of the gas channels, and
a cooling configuration in which two MEA and three separators
represent one unit (two cells) (Fig.8 ).
This configuration has been further evolved for the CLARITY
FUEL CELL. In addition to using a thinner MEA, the developed
fuel cell stack circulates water formed by power generation
through the use of counter flows of hydrogen and air. It achieves
a uniform distribution of water content in the catalyst-coated
membrane (CCM) using an optimal gas distribution structure
realized through the use of a resin frame, and reduces the level of
water by means of humidity feedback control. These
technologies have reduced the depth of the gas flow channels and
increased compactness by 20%, helping to enable a thickness of
1 mm in the cells.
In addition, this stack is applied in-plane gas distribution with a
resin frame. This structure contributes to the cost reduction of the
stack. MEA commonly used special, expensive material. The
previous model MEA shape was special, too. In this structure,
MEA shape is a rectangle and the outside configuration is shaped
by a resin frame, so this structure can achieve a very good yield
rate of expensive materials.(Fig 9).

Fig.8 Schematic Image of Honda’s Fuel Cell
Structure
Fig.9 Schematic Image of Counterflow and In-plane
Gas Distribution with Resin Frame
The reduction of the depth of the gas flow channels also made it
possible to reduce their pitch. This reduced the condensation and
accumulation of water produced by generation in the gas
diffusion layers, increasing gas diffusion performance and
realizing an increase of 1.5 times in generation performance per
cell (Fig.10).
The realization of thinner cells and increased generation
performance has achieved a 60% increase in volume power
density, in addition to a 30% reduction in the number of cells in
the stack and a 33% reduction in the size of the stack. This size
reduction contributed to installation under the front hood.
Front installation of the fuel cell system is a requited
improvement of the toughness toward impact, considering
various collision cases. This stack is applied to a connecting bar
for control of the cell’s misalignment in case of a collision. This
structure improved, four times over, the superior toughness
during impact compared to the previous model.
Copyright © 2018 Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. All rights reserved
20189212
Fig.10 Comparison of image of liquid water
and performance
4. Issues for the Popularization of Fuel Cell Vehicles
Developments up to the present have indicated a positive outlook
for fuel cells in relation to power performance, environmental
performance, and durability.
However, with regard to quality assurance, because fuel cell
stacks are made up of several hundred cells connected in series,
the presence of one defective cell can make it impossible to
guarantee quality. This means that an extremely high level of cell
quality is demanded. Inspections are conducted using strict
threshold values in order to help ensure this high level of quality,
but the achievement of cost reductions will necessitate the
realization of increased robustness and reduced cycle time.
Continuous efforts towards the development of more robust
specifications and the development of processes that reduce cycle
time will therefore be essential.
It is very important to prepare the Hydrogen Infrastructure in the
market. The current situation shows that one hundred hydrogen
stations are in operation in Japan. Car companies require more
stations for expansion in the future. So JHyM, founded from car
OEMs, energy companies, and financial companies in March
2018, was established in order to accelerate this activity.
Simultaneously, it is important to harmonize the regulations,
codes, and standards, all over the world.
Fig.11 Issues Lying Ahead for FCV Popularization

4. Towards the Realization of a Hydrogen-Based Society
Since they use hydrogen as fuel, fuel cell vehicles emit zero CO2
during vehicle operation. If the hydrogen used as fuel is produced
using renewable energies, it will be possible to aim for the
realization of a recycling-based society.
In addition, because it is more efficient to store energy as
hydrogen rather than as electricity, “generate hydrogen,” “use
hydrogen,” and “get connected with hydrogen” can be positioned
as key technologies for a recycling-based society (Fig.12).
Fig.12 Development Concept toward a Hydrogen
Society
4-1. Electrolysis Type Hydrogen Stations
Based on the perspectives outlined above, Honda has been
engaged in the development of technologies for the production of
hydrogen since the beginning of 2000. The initial systems
produced hydrogen by electrolyzing water, following which the
hydrogen was pressurized using a compressor. In 2009, Honda
developed a proprietary high-pressure electrolysis technology
that integrated the electrolysis and pressurization functions and
realized a pressure of 35 MPa (Fig.13).
Fig.13 Improvement of Electrolysis Type Hydrogen Station
As a result, it became possible to develop small hydrogen
stations realizing basically the same hydrogen production
efficiency as large stations. Long-term proving trials of these
stations were conducted in Japan and at Honda’s US research
facilities.
In October 2016, undertaking a project commissioned by Japan’s
Ministry of the Environment, Honda installed seventy pieces of
MPa high-pressure electrolysis equipment in Tokyo’s Odaiba
district and commenced proving trials.
Copyright © 2018 Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. All rights reserved
20189212
4-2. External Power Supply System
Fuel cell vehicles are also capable of displaying a high level of
performance as external power supplies for emergencies. By
connecting the CLARITY FUEL CELL to Honda’s Power
Exporter 9000 mobile inverter, capable of outputting a maximum
of 9 kW, the vehicle is able to act as a vehicle-to-load device (Fig.
14).
Proving trials of the FCX Clarity as a 200 Volt vehicle-to-home
power supply and a back-up power supply for emergency
situations, such as disasters, are being conducted in Kita-Kyushu
in Japan.
Honda believes the fuel cell vehicle to be capable of offering new
value that is not available from conventionally powered gasoline
or diesel vehicles.
Fig.14 New Mobile Inverter “Power Exporter
9000”
5. Conclusion
Honda has positioned the fuel cell vehicle as the ultimate clean
car, offering the response to environmental and energy issues that
will be demanded from the vehicles of the future, and is engaged
in technological development efforts in this area. However, the
company is not restricting itself exclusively to the development
of fuel cell vehicles themselves, but is also providing
technologies for the production of hydrogen and the use of the
vehicles as external power supplies, actively working towards the
realization of a hydrogen-based society under the concept of
“generate hydrogen,” “use hydrogen,” and “get connected with
hydrogen.” The realization of such a hydrogen-based society,
centering on the use of hydrogen and fuel cells, will be essential
to enable society in continuing to experience the joy of mobility
while also addressing environmental and energy issues.
Honda will continue to actively advance research and
development efforts into the future, cooperating in the realization
of a new automotive society and the establishment of
infrastructure towards the advent of a sustainable society.
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