Honda bets big on hydrogen
The development of the technologies of the future goes in several directions, according to the manufacturers. Recently, the boss of Volkswagen declared closing the door to hydrogen for personal vehicles. During this time, thanks to the help of certain partners, Porsche is developing a synthetic fuel, while several other manufacturers, Ford and GM to name a few, are betting on the battery electric vehicle. Now it was Honda’s turn on Wednesday to report on its intentions regarding the development of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.
Four main areas of development
During the meeting organized by Honda, the manufacturer identified 4 main areas on which it will bet for the development of this technology. The objective behind this maneuver is to strive to achieve carbon neutrality in all projects in which the company is involved, both on the product side and in other activities, by 2050.
First, Honda plans to market an SUV based on the CR-V in North America and Japan. The latter will be equipped with a next-generation hydrogen fuel cell system developed in conjunction with GM. In addition, it will offer the feature of being able to recharge at home like a plug-in hybrid vehicle. This partnership aims to share the costs between the two companies in order to amortize the development costs. This will represent a saving of one third of the costs, compared to those of the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell.
Second, Honda plans to begin public road testing of a prototype hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty truck in Japan. This vehicle is the result of a partnership with Isuzu Motors Limited. Moreover, since January 2023, Honda has already started its tests in China in the province of Hubei under a collaboration with the company Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd.
Thirdly, the Japanese manufacturer intends to meet the growing need for energy in data centers thanks to hydrogen fuel cell power plants. The very first will be installed at the headquarters of American Honda Motor Corporation, located in California. This stationary hydrogen fuel cell power plant will have a capacity of 500 kilowatts and will be designed using hydrogen fuel cells from the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell. Once its tests are complete, the company will roll out this technology to its factories and data centers around the world.
Fourth, Honda will apply its hydrogen fuel cell system to construction machinery, excavators and wheel loaders, among others, to help achieve carbon neutrality in this sector. The challenge that the Japanese company will try to meet in this sector is on the side of hydrogen supply, currently considered difficult to manage.
The development of the ecosystem
Currently, the number of stations to refuel a hydrogen-powered vehicle is very limited. Honda is well aware of the problem that also exists . The manufacturer is also supporting Shell and First Element Fuel companies in North America to expand the establishment of a hydrogen ecosystem.
Honda also predicts that, by 2030, this technology will have made great progress and will be much more used. According to advanced information, Honda is even talking about using this technology in the space field.
Nevertheless, this technology offers advantages in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, the limited number of hydrogen stations represents a barrier for buyers. The sales figures for the Toyota Mirai are a good example of the lack of popularity of this type of vehicle. In 2021, only 9 units were sold and after the 3e
quarter of 2022, only one Mirai had been sold, according to data available online. It will be interesting to follow this development over the next few years to see if hydrogen will eventually take hold.
