Honda’s FCEV vision takes shape as Clarity hits the road

Spurred by strong encouragement from their native government, Japanese OEMs have taken up the fuel cell banner with more vigour than some global competitors. Toyota launched its Mirai Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) in December 2014, and by February 2017 had sold over 2,800 units worldwide. This may be a tiny number in automotive terms, but that did not deter rival Honda from launching its competitor model, the FCV Clarity, in March 2016. Since their initial launches in Japan, both models have found their way to North American markets, and Honda is trialling the Clarity in the UK and Denmark.

Thomas Brachmann is Section Lead, xEV Powertrain Research, Honda R&D Europe, a division that covers FCEV along with hybrids, plug-ins and battery