Honda: Hydrogen fuel-cells, rather than lithium-ion batteries and electric motors, are the future

Honda aims to start producing mass-market fuel-cell cars by 2020

According to a report on Bloomberg, Honda Motor Co. is betting that hydrogen power – rather than hybrids and/or battery-powered electric vehicles – are the future of motoring. Honda is currently the only car manufacturer in the world that builds and leases hydrogen fuel-cell cars – the FCX Clarity – to individuals. The FCX Clarity is built in very, very limited numbers at a Honda facility in Tochigi prefecture, in Japan.

Honda’s stand seems to be at odds with most other car manufacturers’ thoughts, who are choosing to go with hybrids and/or lithium-ion battery-powered electric cars. Whether hydrogen, the universe’s most abundant element, can replace fossil fuel in mainstream, mass-market cars is the big question. And given the vast hydrogen infrastructure that would have to be put in place, in order to replace the conventional fuel infrastructure all over the world, it’s likely to be a hugely daunting task.

In the US, the department of energy doesn’t believe that America would be able to convert to hydrogen cars even in the next 20 years, which is why the US has decided to stay away from hydrogen and go with lithium-ion battery-powered cars. However, Honda chooses to stick with its plans of focusing on hydrogen fuel-cell power. Incidentally, Toyota is also with Honda on this one and plans to start selling mainstream fuel-cell cars by 2015 – five years before Honda plans to get there!

Companies like Mitsubishi and Nissan, on the other hand, are placing their bets with lithium-ion batteries and electric motors. Mitsubishi, with the i-MiEV and Nissan, with the Leaf, are convinced that EVs are the way to go in the near- to mid-term future.

According to some estimates, Honda spends tens of billions of Yen every year on fuel-cell R&D. But to find out whether the company will actually be able to reduce the cost of fuel-cell cars where they become commercially viable for mainstream users, you’ll just have to wait and see. All will be revealed in… ten years time! :-)