There's one word to describe the ride inside Honda's FCX fuel cell prototype: quiet.
It's very, very quiet.
There are no engine or exhaust sounds from the sleekly styled, 4-seat, 4-door latest-generation Honda FCX prototype, which uses compressed hydrogen as its fuel.
There's no need for noise. In onboard, electrochemical reactions, the hydrogen is directed to fuel cells and membranes therein where electricity is quietly created, and the electricity then quietly powers the car. There's no internal combustion engine under the hood or anywhere in the FCX, so there's no volatile gasoline-and-air-mix under explosive pressure of engine pistons. And so there's no need for a muffler.
In fact, at most, my passengers and I in the Honda FCX merely heard a bit of wind noise and a high-pitch whine from an air pump that was working to keep the fuel cell properly cool.
There also was some serenity-stealing tire squeal—honest—in this oh-so-environmentally advanced car as the instantaneous torque from electric power got the FCX wheels moving aggressively.
But that was my fault. All too eager to get going in this rare, million-dollar prototype, I learned quickly that stepping hard on the accelerator brings a surge of electricity-supplied torque faster and smoother than the torque from a gasoline engine.
Finally, Better Weight Balance
Driving the hydrogen-powered Honda FCX on an abbreviated racetrack course—not to race the car but to experience how it handles at even highway speeds—I noticed more than just how swiftly the FCX can get up to speed. Eighty miles an hour came quickly, and, of course, quietly.
In contrast to earlier fuel-cell vehicles I've driven over the years from a number of car companies, the FCX feels more balanced and more like a regular car, which is what Honda officials wanted after more than 20 years of fuel-cell research.
Related Link: Read: Honda's Hydrogen Family
They achieved the better balance and more predictable road manners in part by getting the seats and floor of the FCX to sit lower to the ground than in many previous fuel-cell vehicles. Actually, the position of the seats and floor on the latest-generation FCX are more akin to that of a regular car.
Sounds like no big deal, right? But it took a lot of doing as Honda had to first rejigger and reposition the fuel-cell stack—where the splitting of the hydrogen electrons and protons occurs to start the electricity-producing process—so it would fit in the center tunnel area in the middle of the car. Honda, which plans limited marketing of a fuel-cell car to consumers starting in 2008, is the first to do this.
In earlier Honda fuel-cell vehicles, the hydrogen flowing into the fuel cells and the resulting water byproduct moved horizontally. In the newest FCX, this is all turned on its side, if you will, with hydrogen and water flowing vertically.
This new positioning, as well as a downsizing of the fuel-cell stack for less weight and bulk but still improved power output, makes for an FCX that has more confident road manners than its predecessors.
On the road, the body motions of the FCX test car were predictable and comfortable. The car didn't feel tippy, like many earlier fuel-cell cars did, in curves and sharp turns. This FCX felt planted to the pavement.
But it took a while for me to quit waiting expectantly for the usual "car sounds" that provide audible feedback of power and response. They're just not there in the FCX, and without them, I found myself describing my drive as "zippy" rather than "sports car-like."
But then I realized this may not be fair. Just because as drivers we're accustomed to certain engine growls and noisy cues as evidence of speed and performance doesn't mean that their absence suggests a lack of sporty performance.
In fact, the FCX prototype can rush forward from a standstill to 30 miles an hour super-fast. And top speed is about 100 mph. All the while this newfangled auto emits only water out the back.
Scientific-Oriented Interior
Inside the FCX is similar to being in a laboratory—a very airy, glass-enclosed laboratory. Some things looked familiar on first glance, but they were also different.
The driver's seat, as well as the three other separate seats and interior door trim look normal. But their covering feels more sturdy, more rigid, than any upholstery I've touched before.
It's a new, environmentally friendly material—a Honda Bio-Fabric that's made of a corn-based polyester—and it's very durable, not to mention extremely resistant to the damaging effects of sunlight, according to Honda officials. Of course, in the FCX it has a slightly yellow, corn-like hue.
The roominess of the FCX prototype passenger compartment is surprising. Although the FCX doesn't look like a full-size sedan, its interior is full-size, including good legroom for two back-seat passengers.
From the driver's seat, the hood looks—and is—quite short. But then it doesn't need to be lengthy because there's no piston-carrying engine under there. Instead, a power control module resides ahead of the firewall, and there are headlight assemblies and a few other things, but nothing sizable like a gasoline engine.
The dashboard seems to be familiar, but stark (being a prototype, the FCX doesn't have a stereo system yet). The center console doesn't have a shifter or parking brake lever, either. Instead, there's a small control for gear changes on the dashboard, to the right of the steering wheel. A small button nearby activates the parking brake.
The instrument panel is right where it should be—in front of the driver. But the FCX gauges are, well, weird.
Almost all the information about the car's fuel and power is integrated into a blue, mesmerizing circle in the middle of the instrument panel. In the middle of this ocean-blue circle is a ball that expands and contracts and changes color to indicate how much hydrogen is being used.
I got caught up in watching that ball as I drove and nearly missed a stop. I guess Honda's lawyers will take a look at that before this latest FCX hits the streets for regular consumers!
Ann Job is a freelance automotive writer.
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