Honda CLARITY FUEL CELL revealed in Tokyo

Honda has introduced the production-ready CLARITY FUEL CELL on the dawn of the 44th Tokyo Motor Show.

Set to hit the market early next year in Japan and later on in select European markets, the new hydrogen fuel cell sedan from Honda was originally unveiled last week, but now we also have the technical specifications. It is 4,895 mm long, 1,875 mm wide and 1,475 mm tall and can seat up to five people inside the spacious cabin which was obtained by minimizing the space needed by the powertrain that according to Honda has a size comparable to a conventional V6 engine.

Speaking of which, the thickness of each cell has been reduced by 1 mm (20%) which makes the fuel cell stack 33% smaller compared to the one implemented by Honda in the original FCX Clarity. At the same time, the output has increased and now stands at 177 PS (130 kW) while the power density is up by a massive 60% to 3.1 kW/L.

 

 

Thanks to a 70 MPa high-pressure hydrogen tank, the CLARITY FUEL CELL has a maximum range of more than 700 km (435 miles) based on the testing done with the JC08 method. Once the tank is depleted, a full refill will take around three minutes which is almost as good as a conventional gasoline/diesel refill.

As for the design, it certainly takes time getting used to, but the shape of the vehicle is the result of in-depth testing to elaborate an aerodynamic body teamed up with full LED headlights and 18-inch alloy wheels. The striking exterior doesn’t continue on the inside where the cabin has a conventional layout that you will find on most of the company’s recent models.