What we know!
Honda is already at the forefront of hydrogen-powered cars, despite hurdles through the years including fueling challenges and pricing pressures. Even so, the automaker is still hoping and counting on hydrogen helping it decarbonize its vehicle fleet by 2040, even tapping into the most abundant elements in the universe to power its push into place.
In what is a forward-thinking, visionary idea, Honda envisions its hydrogen-powered regenerative system as part of a human settlement on the lunar surface. It also hopes that, by using the Moon as a testing pad of sorts for its technology, it can further prove its utility back on Earth.
In essence, the Honda system works like this – during the lunar day, the system utilizes electricity generated by solar panels capturing sunlight. The company’s high-differential pressure water electrolysis system will then produce hydrogen and oxygen from water. Then, when the moon rotates away from the sun, some of the oxygen will be aimed at use by astronauts to breathe, with the rest put toward generating electricity. Since the only byproduct of this process is water, which is recycled back into the regenerative system, a closed-loop energy cycle is formed.
“This process is similar to how a home solar system operates on earth,” according to Honda, “where daytime solar electricity is harnessed, and excess energy is stored in home energy batteries to provide power throughout the night.”
This process will be tested in the microgravity environment of the ISS, with Honda working alongside NASA to transport the equipment on Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane, with Tec-Masters as the ISS technology expert.
By creating a reliable source of oxygen and electricity in space, Honda will be helping humans establish liveable habitats off-Earth. This is likely a real goal in an era when space travel seems more achievable than ever before.
This overall plan is one rooted in sustainability, with Honda boasting its Next Generation Fuel-Cell Module in February – a powerful compact unit that produces 150kW of electricity and which costs half as much and offers more than double the durability of the previous model, developed by GM. It was just a week later that the automaker unveiled its coming CR-V Fuel Cell vehicle, which comes with a 17.7kWh battery so it can function as a PHEV. The $51,395 crossover puts 174 hp to the front wheels and boasts a range of 270 miles.
Honda is betting on the fact that, while there doesn’t seem to be too large a market for fuel-cell vehicles here on Earth, that may not be the case on the moon!
With decades of experience under its belt, Honda hopes to use that knowledge of fuel cells to create the system, and “envisions the circulative renewable energy system to be part of the infrastructure for humanity’s sustained habitat on the Moon – using the available resources of sunlight and water,” the automaker said. “By enhancing the performance of the circulative renewable energy system, improvements can be made to long-life regenerative fuel cells that can be used as a scalable, clean and renewable energy source both in space and on earth.”
By using space’s abundant sunshine, and for two weeks at a time on the moon to make electricity, Honda and its partners in this effort, will produce both hydrogen and oxygen from the moon’s water.
With these big aspirations up high, Honda is truly leading the way, sending new tech into space for benefits both there and down on Earth. Supporting life up in the stars just got stronger, with Honda taking it to the moon and back!