Honda expects to launch fuel-cell cars in general market by 2018

Honda Motor Co. expects to sell fuel-cell vehicles in the general market by 2018, a news report said Friday.

Honda President Takeo Fukui disclosed the forecast in a recent interview, Kyodo News agency said.

In September, Japan's third-largest automaker unveiled its FCX Concept fuel-cell car, which is planned for limited marketing in Japan and the U.S. in 2008. Honda declined to say what the vehicle will cost.

"In 2018, I believe the development (of a fuel-cell car) will have been very advanced," Fukui was quoted as saying by Kyodo in the interview in Tokyo on Dec. 25.

"It will become a real possibility to a large degree," he said, according to Kyodo.

Kyodo said Fukui was confident that many customers will want to buy a fuel-cell car if it costs no more than about 10 million yen ($84,000).

A fuel-cell car runs on power generated by oxygen in the air combining with hydrogen stored in a fuel tank. The end product is harmless water vapor.


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chewy - 12/29/2006 3:14:05 PM

0 Boost

Oh, 2018, I thought that we would all be running fuel cell cars next year. Silly me.

bubbahotep - 12/29/2006 3:28:47 PM

+2 Boost

2018 ?!?!?!? WTF ?!?! Nothing like a nice long timeline to get it right....
Hell, thats the year GM and Ford will be out of debt ....

chewy - 12/29/2006 4:45:34 PM

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I think VW has the high temp one. See huu76, you got caught ahead of the truth. From the article it looks that the base price is 84,000 for a car that is similar to a 25,000 midsize sedan. And that is in 2018 or something. You laughed at VW that clearly said that they will be able to sell fuel cells as they do normal cars today sometime around 2020.

aznstuart - 12/29/2006 5:34:15 PM

+4 Boost

2018 is when Honda will be *selling* fuel cell vehicles to the public. By 2008 Honda will have fuel cell vehicles availible for lease only. That's the new 2nd G FCX. If they sold the FCX in 2008, it would cost maybe a million or so US dollars. But by 2018, they believe that production costs would have fallen enough to be purchased by the "average" customer. The price is estimated to be 84 grand by 2018.

chewy - 12/29/2006 5:47:03 PM

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Yep, that makes sense, and Honda is not the only company that by 2008 can lease a fuel cell powered vehicle. GM is doing the same thing, I think that VW could probably do the same thing. By 2018 the fuel cell powered car is still expected to cost as much as a large luxury sedan but will most likely be like a regular mid size. This contradicts huu76 that promised different.

chewy - 12/29/2006 5:49:49 PM

-4 Boost

Sorry, VW already has had working models for years already. In fact I am sure every brand has a working fuel cell model for almost a decade now. But VW has the high temp one that shows promise for relatively cheap mass production, I be Honda does as well. And I doubt that they adjusted the price for inflation as it is unkown how much a regular mid size car will cost in 2018.

cynic - 12/29/2006 7:51:45 PM

+4 Boost

Honda has a long history of bringing high quality, high technology machines for the masses at a great price. And, being on the leading edge of those technologies. Do we doubt that they will do it again with fuel cells? The safer bet would be on Honda.

truckmen - 12/29/2006 10:21:11 PM

-3 Boost

Cynic- Dreaming!

cynic - 12/30/2006 2:26:16 AM

+3 Boost

Honda: "The Power of Dreams", maybe you've heard of that slogan?

Their robot ASIMO is a dream come true. Who else had technology like that?

truckmen - 12/29/2006 8:39:11 PM

-4 Boost

A dream come true? Has Honda figured out how to produce Hydrogen without burning double the amount in gas to produce the hydrogen? I think we would have all heard if someone has!It would change the world! Unfortunatly This is just smoke and mirrors! They are sounding an awful lot like politicians now! They are just buying votes with the politically correct uneducated! Don't get me wrong if they could save the enviroment I beg them to make me eat my words but sadly I am only dreaming! Just a PR stunt!

cynic - 12/29/2006 8:49:14 PM

+5 Boost

Ah... Honda now produces solar cells and is investing money into the technology with the aim to use them to create electricity to produce hydrogen that can be used in the home.

truckmen - 12/29/2006 10:24:30 PM

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I am genuinely impressed Cynic! The green energy is the way of the future ,solar, and wind if one lives in a sunny windy climate.One or the other.

cynic - 12/30/2006 2:27:23 AM

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Ah, like most electricity, it can be transferred by wire. How do you think people get hydro electricity and live so far away?

truckmen - 12/29/2006 10:58:42 PM

-2 Boost

Awesome! Thanks huu76.

Rupert - 12/31/2006 8:42:53 PM

+3 Boost

hydrogen and fuel at the same time? works with diesel as well? that sounds good. hydrogen/diesel/electric hybrids anyone? super-economy, super-low emissions.
and that hydrogen from water? thats really great! does it work with salt water? if it is that's perfectly clean energy...why isn't this in the news?

chewy - 12/30/2006 12:59:10 AM

0 Boost

Of course nuclear energy makes a lot of sense, but the same environmentalists would freak out crazy.

lewissalem - 1/2/2007 9:55:08 AM

+1 Boost

Mr. Fukui is a genius! Make prediction about the future, retire a year later, profit $$$!

Just kidding of course. I could see it happening.