Although Honda hasn’t yet produced a solar car, the company has started work on a home solar hydrogen station prototype. The idea is that people will be able to use it as a home refuelling system for their fuel cell electric vehicles.
It has been designed to fit into a single unit that could be placed inside a user’s garage. The Solar Hydrogen Station has been designed with Honda’s first and only hydrogen production car – the FCX Clarity – in mind.
The solar hydrogen station could produce 0.5kg during an eight hour overnight fill for a fuel cell electric vehicle. This would provide enough range for daily commuting – up to 10,000 miles per year.
A previous solar hydrogen station produced by Honda was very bulky, as it required a separate compressor unit in order to produce high pressure hydrogen. This also reduced the system efficiency. Honda engineers have refined the electrolyser with high differential pressure and in so doing, have eliminated the need for a compressor unit altogether. The result is that it’s now possible to reduce the station down to a size that is suitable for home use.
This was an important stage in development as it would make it more acceptable for those motorists with small garages or people who live in apartment blocks and have shared parking areas.
Using the Solar Hydrogen Station people could refill their vehicle at night without having to store hydrogen, and carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced as the unit uses off peak electrical power. The Solar Hydrogen Station could also export electricity to the national grid during peak power daytime hours. This would be financially beneficial to the customer.
Honda hopes that the combination of home solar hydrogen stations and fuel cell electric vehicles will lead to the setting up of a hydrogen society, which will reduce carbon dioxide emissions dramatically, and lead to greater energy sustainability.
However, for the moment, the Solar Hydrogen Station remains in the R&D department of Honda America in Los Angeles.