Honda Begins Operation of New Solar Hydrogen Station

Honda today began operation of a next generation solar hydrogen station prototype at the Los Angeles Center of Honda R&D Americas, Inc., intended for ultimate use as a home refueling appliance capable of an overnight refill of fuel cell electric vehicles.
Designed as a single, integrated unit to fit in the user's garage, Honda's next generation Solar Hydrogen Station reduces the size of the system, while producing enough hydrogen (0.5kg) via an 8-hour overnight fill for daily commuting (10,000 miles per year) for a fuel cell electric vehicle.
The previous solar hydrogen station system required both an electrolyzer and a separate compressor unit to create high pressure hydrogen. The compressor was the largest and most expensive component and reduced system efficiency. By creating a new high differential pressure electrolyzer, Honda engineers were able to eliminate the compressor entirely - a world's first for a home use system. This innovation also reduces the size of other key components to make the new station the world's most compact system, while improving system efficiency by more than 25% (value calculated based on simulations) compared to the solar hydrogen station system it replaces.
Compatible with a "Smart Grid" energy system, the Honda Solar Hydrogen Station would enable users to refill their vehicle overnight without the requirement of hydrogen storage, which would lower CO2 emissions by using less expensive off-peak electrical power. During daytime peak power times, the Solar Hydrogen Station can export renewable electricity to the grid, providing a cost benefit to the customer, while remaining energy neutral.
Designed for simple, user-friendly operation, the intuitive system layout enables the user to easily lift and remove the fuel hose, with no hose coiling when the hose is returned to the dispenser unit.
Engineered for an 8-hour, slow fill for overnight refilling of a fuel cell electric vehicle, the home-use Solar Hydrogen Station would replenish the hydrogen for a typical daily driving, meeting the commuting requirements of many drivers. As with the previous generation system, the hydrogen purity from the new station meets the highest SAE (J2719) and ISO (14687) specifications.
Installed at the Los Angeles Center of Honda R&D Americas, the new Solar Hydrogen Station will employ the same 48-panel, 6.0kW solar array that powered the previous system. The array utilizes thin film solar cells composed of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS) produced by Honda Soltec Co., Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honda that was established for the mass production and sales of solar cells capable of efficient renewable electricity generation. Honda's unique solar cells reduce the amount of CO2 generated during production as compared to conventional solar cells.
Designed to support the needs of the future owners of fuel cell electric vehicles, the Honda Solar Hydrogen Station was also designed to complement a public network of fast fill hydrogen stations. The Honda FCX Clarity electric vehicle is fast fill capable and offers an EPA-estimated driving range of 240 miles. With fast fill public stations providing 5-minute fueling time for longer trips, and the opportunity of convenient nighttime slow filling at home using a solar station with a Smart Grid connection, the Honda FCX Clarity can cover a wide range of driving demands from the daily commute to weekend trips.
A key strategy in creating a solar hydrogen station for home-use was to create a new lifestyle with convenient, clean, energy-efficient and sustainable home refueling, by addressing the need for refueling infrastructure that can advance the wider use of fuel cell electric vehicles by consumers.
The combination of a fuel cell electric vehicle and the solar hydrogen station could help lead to the establishment of a hydrogen society based on renewable energy, resulting in a major reduction of CO2 emissions and greater energy sustainability.
Honda began operation of its first Solar Hydrogen Station at the Los Angeles Center of Honda R&D Americas in 2001:
July 2001: 3-unit system with hydrogen storage begins operation.

• October 2003: new 2-unit system with an original Honda electrolyzer and a new solar array utilizing prototype Honda CIGS solar cells offers improved system efficiency.
• August 2008: solar array fitted with mass production CIGS cells from Honda Soltec Co., reducing the size of the array by 20% and further improving photo voltaic (PV) energy efficiency.
• January 2010: new single-unit station begins operation, improving to world's best system efficiency - increasing the efficiency by more than 25% (value calculated based on simulations) compared to the previous solar hydrogen station system, for a world's highest system efficiency.

About Honda R&D Americas, Inc.
Honda R&D Americas, Inc. (HRA) is responsible for creating advanced technologies and products in the U.S. that provide new value to Honda and Acura customers. HRA began R&D operations in the U.S. in 1975 with market research activities in California, and has steadily grown its capabilities over the past 35 years to include all aspects of new vehicle design and development, as well as taking a leading role in the advancement of leading-edge safety and environmental technologies.
Today, Honda operates 15 major R&D facilities in the U.S. with more than 1,300 designers, engineers and support personnel engaged in the development of automobiles, motorcycles and power equipment products for North America and global markets.
HRA's major centers include the Los Angeles Center (Torrance, CA), responsible for market research, concept development and styling design; the Ohio Center (Raymond, OH) responsible for complete product development, testing and support of North American supplier development; and a dynamic test facility in Ohio; and the North Carolina Center (Swepsonville, NC) responsible for power equipment R&D.


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SunHydro looks ahead to highway lined with hydrogen fueling stations

Among the many advanced vehicles set to hit the road in the next several years, a few under development at Daimler, Honda, Mercedes Benz and other automakers are being design to run on hydrogen fuel cells. But they will still hit the big roadblock facing their electric-powered peers: How will drivers refuel in a world of petroleum gas stations? What’s the point if you can only juice up at home?

Now a company calledSunHydro is stepping up to answer the big question of infrastructure for hydrogen vehicles, pitching a so-called “hydrogen highway” extending from Portland, Maine to Florida dotted with 11 fueling stations tailored specifically to fuel-cell powered vehicles.

In addition to infrastructure limitations, cost has been the big barrier holding back transportation innovation. Hydrogen fuel cells in particular are incredibly expensive to build and maintain. Looking at SunHydro’s process you can see why. Each station will split water molecules using solar power. This sounds incredibly clean, and will save the costs and emissions related to shipping hydrogen gas in tanker trunks over long distances. It’s unclear how SunHydro plans to foot this bill.

Especially when you consider how few cars will require its services in the immediate future. Building fueling stations for any type of advanced vehicle has always presented a chicken-and-the-egg style problem. Electric and hydrogen-powered cars won’t be widely adopted until consumers know they can reliably refuel on the go. But companies developing fueling stations won’t be able to afford mass expansion until they have some customers. For now, it looks like the government may need to step in the break the deadlock.

Better Place, a company that has pitched battery-switching stations for electric cars — allowing drivers to quickly swap out depleted batteries for new ones — just raised $350 million in private investment led by HSBC, but will clearly need millions if not billions more to make its vision a nationwide staple. Venture capital and equity will probably not be enough to change the game.

SunHydro says that each of its stations, with the technology as is, costs about $3 million to build. That’s not so infeasible — it already has the funding it needs from private investors. But if its solution is to be scaled, a lot of other pieces, including government aid, will need to fall into place. Automakers need to move their hydrogen models closer to market. Both Toyota and Daimler have pegged 2015 as the year fuel-cell cars will roll into showrooms, begging the question: What will SunHydro do for the next five years?

The first phase of its rollout plan includes the construction of stations in Portland, Maine, Braintree, Mass., Wallingford, Conn., S. Hackensack, N.J., Claymont, Del., Richmond, Va., Charlotte, N.C., Atlanta, Ga., Savannah, Ga., Orlando, Fla., and Miami, Fla. Phase two is a much longer hydrogen highway connecting New York and California.

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Honda's next generation solar hydrogen station prototype

Honda's next generation solar hydrogen station prototype began operating today at the Los Angeles Center of Honda R&D Americas, Inc. The system is ultimately intended for use as a home refueling appliance capable of an overnight refill of fuel cell electric vehicles, such as the Honda FCX Clarity. 
Designed to fit in the user's garage, Honda's station produces enough hydrogen via an 8-hour overnight fill for daily commuting (10,000 miles per year) for a fuel cell electric vehicle.
(Photo: Business Wire)


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