Honda Brings the Future of Driving to Canada
Honda's advanced technologies highlighted by FCX fuel cell car
test-drives at Globe 2006 conference
VANCOUVER, March 28 /CNW/ - Honda Canada is driving the future with real-
world demonstrations in Vancouver this week of its FCX hydrogen fuel cell
cars. Providing a backdrop for test drives is Honda's participation in Globe
2006, a biennial trade fair and conference on business and the environment.
Speaking at the conference on "Honda Technology Challenge for Sustainable
Society" will be Akio Hamada, president and chief executive officer of Honda
of America Mfg., Inc., Marysville, Ohio. Mr. Hamada's presentation on
Thursday, March 30, will focus on Honda's approach to addressing society's
concerns regarding three major environmental challenges - energy
sustainability, climate change and air quality.
Honda has been committed to addressing environmental concerns throughout
its corporate history. One of Honda's first successes was the development of a
cleaner-burning engine that made the Honda Civic the first vehicle to meet the
stringent requirements of the 1970 U.S. Clear Air Act. In the years since,
Honda has been a leader in producing low-emission vehicles with industry-
leading fuel efficiency.
To further improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, Honda was the
first manufacturer in North America to introduce a gasoline-electric hybrid
car - Honda Insight - which remains the most fuel-efficient car in Canada.
Improved versions of the hybrid system appeared in the world's first
"mainstream" vehicles - the 2003 Civic Hybrid and the 2005 Accord Hybrid.
Adding to its long history of advanced "green" technologies, Honda's latest
hybrid powertrain in the 2006 Civic Hybrid, Canada's most affordable hybrid,
offers improved power, efficiency and capabilities, including the ability to
deactivate all four of its cylinders and operate using only the electric motor
in certain steady-state cruising situations.
In addition to hybrid technology, Honda has incorporated VCM (Variable
Cylinder Management) on the Odyssey and Accord V6. This technology allows
deactivation of the rear bank of three cylinders of V6 engines when cruising
or when less engine power is required, thus improving fuel economy.
Looking to the future, Honda became the first manufacturer to have a
hydrogen fuel cell car certified by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency
(EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB). In 2002, Honda delivered the
FCX fuel cell car to the City of Los Angeles and the Cabinet Office of the
Government of Japan. At present, there are 20 FCX cars running on public roads
in the U.S. and seven in Japan.
Honda has further improved fuel cell technology with the development of
the Honda Fuel Cell Stack that allows starting in sub-zero temperatures while
providing one of the world's highest performance outputs. The new fuel cell
stack also resulted in 50 per cent fewer components, making it more compact
and potentially easier to produce in the future.
To show the practicality of fuel cell cars for real-world customers,
Honda leased an FCX fuel cell car last year to the Spallino family in
California, making them the first fuel cell family in the world. This is the
first fuel cell car to be used by an individual retail customer in everyday
activities, suggesting that fuel cell vehicles can be practical for regular
customers in the years ahead.
Honda's goals for the future is to further advance sub-freezing start up,
reducing overall system size, higher output with higher efficiency, improved
durability and overall reliability. Honda is also researching reliable
hydrogen production methods and fueling infrastructure.
Honda is also conducting research for a future hydrogen society with a
third-generation Home Energy Station that extracts hydrogen from natural gas.
At the same time, it efficiently generates heat and electricity for the home.
Honda also has been conducting experiments on hydrogen fueling stations that
use solar power as an energy source to generate hydrogen. The stations use
solar cells to create electricity. They then extract hydrogen from water
through electrolysis with zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Running from March 29 - 31 at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition
Centre, the Globe 2006 conference attracts about 10,000 participants from more
than 70 countries to explore issues of corporate sustainability, global energy
and environmental markets, and the future of sustainable urban development.
Across its entire portfolio of products, Honda Canada provides Canadians
with dependable vehicles, motorcycles, power equipment and marine engines.
With 124 manufacturing facilities in 28 countries worldwide, Honda now
attracts nearly 20 million customers annually. Honda Canada manufactures the
Honda Ridgeline, Pilot, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan and Civic Si Coupe, and the
Acura CSX and MDX at its two plants in Alliston, Ontario.
For more information on Globe 2006, access:
www.globe2006.com
For more information on Honda Canada, access:
www.honda.ca
For further information: Sandy Di Felice, (416) 453-6505; Richard
Jacobs, (416) 543-6593;
Archived images on this organization are searchable through CNW Photo Archive
website at
http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of
the media.
Honda is driving the future with real-world demonstrations in Vancouver this week of its FCX fuel cell car. The FCX features a Honda fuel cell stack that allows operation in sub-freezing temperatures. The demonstrations are in conjunction with Globe 2006, an international environmental conference. (CNW Group/Honda Canada Inc.)
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