PowerSwitch

Telegraph.co.uk - 07/07/07

Honda has significantly reduced the noise produced by its fuel-cell powered FCX Concept car prior to a production sign-off and the car being made commercially available next year, writes Andrew English

The whining noise is produced by the air compressor, which forces air into the fuel-cell stack, where it acts on a platinum catalyst with hydrogen to produce electricity.

Honda uses a screw-type compressor rather than the quieter, but less efficient, electrical turbocharger systems of the Daimler Chrysler Hygenius and General Motors Sequel fuel-cell rivals.

Honda claims the FCX Concept sounds noisier than the old FCX fuel-cell car because the compressor is nearer to the passengers and because the raked windscreen radiates noise into the cabin. Production versions should be even quieter as their bodyshells will be made of steel instead of the stiff-but-noisy carbon-fibre of the early versions we drove last year and again last week. Chief fuel-cell engineer Sachito Fujimoto says: "The work we are doing on noise is one of the most confidential parts of the entire project, so I can say no more than that we have been working on the pump intake and exhaust." Despite the recent adoption of lithium-ion battery technology by companies like General Motors, with its Volt hybrid concept car, Honda remains committed to a fuel-cell future. "I believe the fuel-cell is the ultimate propulsion system," says Fujimoto, "and that one day it will replace all internal combustion engines." The FCX Concept will only be leased in America and Japan, where there are enough hydrogen refuelling sites to make it a practical proposition. Honda currently has 31 old-model FCX cars on $500-a-month lease arrangements.

A name for the new, improved car is still under debate.