FCEV Concept Car Review

Overview

The Honda FCEV (or Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicle) may not be the first fuel-cell vehicle to be made, but it’s certainly the sharpest-looking – many of the places that are curved on traditional vehicles have been adjusted to provide sharp, bold statements on a vehicle that’s making use of all the technology Honda has to offer. What’s so interesting about this vehicle, though, and why do any of us care?

Power and Efficiency

It takes a lot of electricity to move a vehicle. In fact, many gas-electric hybrid cars can only go a few miles (not counting downhill slopes) on a full charge, while other hybrids spread the power out to help improve overall efficiency and provide power to things the engine doesn’t need to. Either way, though, the electric part isn’t going to take you very far. The big problem here is energy storage. Car batteries are only so large, even in hybrids, and they’re not a very good way of storing energy over a long period of time. Fuel cells are more like gasoline than they are batteries – they store what power is drawn from, not the power itself, and that means a proper fuel cell system can store drastically more energy than any vehicle’s battery. The Honda FCEV is estimated to have an average range of over 300 miles between tanks, though you’ll still need to find a station to fill it at, which is actually somewhat better than other vehicles of its size.

The Build of the FCEV

Have you seen the Honda FCEV yet? Put frankly, this car looks like the future – incredibly so. The first time we saw it, we thought we were looking at a prop vehicle being used for a movie, not something we were going to see passing us on the road in the near future. There is nothing about the FCEV that is casual or relaxed. It’s a bold vehicle with an incredible visual impact that people can’t help but notice – in a world of soft curves and aesthetics, this is a car that looks like it was made a few generations ahead of schedule. Many of the design choices will be noticed immediately – the rear window, for example, is almost more of a sunroof than anything else. However, nothing is quite as impressive as Honda’s claim that the fuel cells for the car will be fitting into the front section, where the engine normally sits. This was made possible through the advancing technology of fuel cells, which decreased the amount of space necessary to hold the components (and gave the vehicle a trunk with enough space to actually matter).

Conclusion

The Honda FCEV probably won’t be the best-selling car of 2015. Fuel cell technology is still advancing, but the vehicle is a major milestone in the advancement of this type of car, and it’s already accomplished the job of showing that fuel cell vehicles can be a viable alternative to other forms of fuel – and the economic implications of this, if successful, are incredible. This is definitely a vehicle worth paying attention to, regardless of what actually happens on the market – and we’re looking forward to seeing what else Honda has in store.

Disclaimer: This review is for a vehicle that has not yet been put into full production. Honda may choose to modify any or all of the previous statements about the vehicle, including its design and functionality. For more information, contact Norm Reeves Honda closer to the release date of the vehicle. The Honda FCEV is currently slated for release in 2015.