Honda FCX Integrates Hydrogen Station Locating Navigation System

It makes sense that with so few hydrogen service stations yet in service that hydrogen vehicle rivers know where they are, Honda has decided to fit all hydrogen fuel cell-powered 2005 FCX vehicles with a special Honda-developed navigation system. This new navigation system is the first in the world to incorporate the location of hydrogen stations, including stations being developed as part of California's "Hydrogen Highway" Initiative. if you're outside California though, you might need more than a good navigational system - 17 of the 26 hydrogen stations listed in the database are in California.

Based on the navigation system offered in many Honda and Acura models, the voice-activated system is standard on all second generation FCX vehicles equipped with Honda's fuel cell stack. It includes features such as the capability to find and display hydrogen stations through voice commands, including directions and driving distances. Offering national US navigation coverage, the system currently includes a total of 26 H2 stations in its database with nine of them outside the state of California. There is also a feature included that will allow the user to add stations to their personal address book. As the infrastructure develops further, periodic system updates will be performed by Honda to include any new stations to the directory.

Honda recently delivered an FCX to the world's first retail customer, the Spallino family. The Spallinos' FCX, is the first to be equipped with a navigation unit. This marks another first in the development of a hydrogen economy by becoming the first retail consumer to utilize the H2 Highway.

The Honda FCX is the first and only hydrogen vehicle to ever be certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California's Air Resources Board (CARB). The EPA certified the 2005 FCX as a Tier-2 Bin 1, and CARB certified the FCX as a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV). The FCX was the first fuel cell vehicle to be listed in the EPA's Fuel Economy Guide in 2003. The 2005 FCX carries an EPA city/highway rating of 62/51 miles per kilogram and a range of 190 miles. It also features the breakthrough capability to start and operate at sub-freezing temperatures as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit, along with increased performance, range and fuel efficiency compared with earlier models.

Further reading:

Honda's official world FCX site

Road & Track's FCX drive test