LA Auto Show Preview: Honda to debut production version of FCX concept

Honda announced today that it will be unveiling a production version of its hydrogen-powered fuel cell car at the LA Auto Show next Month. The car will be based on the sexy FCX Concept we’ve been drooling over forever. That means no more lame boring design of the current FCX.

Honda previously promised that it will put the sleek hydrogen fuel-cell sedan into limited production in the middle of next year. The Honda FCX Concept produces 129 horsepower with a top speed of 100 mph. The car uses compressed hydrogen as fuel and is powered by lithium ion battery, giving it the ability to have a range of 570km (354 miles) while omitting zero emissions.

Yesterday at a press conference held ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda’s CEO, Takeo Fukui, said he wasn’t a fan of plug-in hybrids.

“I”m not sure what kind of real advantages they would have,” he said.

Honda FCX Concept Gallery:

       

 

Press Release:

Honda’s next generation hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle will make its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, November 14, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today.

Based on the FCX Concept that has impressed journalists at multiple test drive events over the past year, this all-new fuel cell vehicle will be marketed to fleet and retail customers in the U.S. and Japan beginning in 2008. The Los Angeles Auto Show represents the first opportunity for potential U.S. customers to preview the new car.

In an effort to appeal to real world consumers, Honda’s recent breakthroughs in fuel cell technology will enable levels of performance, room, comfort, and dynamic styling previously unattainable in a fuel cell car.

As the most advanced expression of the electric vehicle concept, Honda’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicle utilizes electricity generated by combining hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel cell stack, and electricity stored in its lithium-ion battery pack to power the vehicle’s electric motor. Honda is the first and only automaker with a fuel cell vehicle fully certified to meet all applicable federal government emissions and crash-safety standards. Additionally, Honda is the first and only automaker to lease a fuel cell vehicle to an individual customer with a second customer added in 2007.

Source: Honda

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