HONDA The Power of Dreams

Vehicles powered by electricity, such as fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) can store, or generate, large amounts of electricity. By utilizing this electricity, vehicles can act as a “power source on wheels” in various situations.

By connecting Honda’s Power Exporter 9000 portable external power output device to vehicles equipped with external power output, various electrical equipment (up to 9kVA) can be powered. Connected to the Clarity Fuel Cell, the Power Exporter 9000 can supply enough electricity to power an average home for approximately 7 days*.

Vehicles output direct current (DC) electricity, which cannot be used to power household electrical equipment, requiring alternating current (AC) electricity. The vehicle’s DC electricity needs to be converted to AC electricity, to be able to power such electrical equipment.

* Calculations based on daily electricity usage by average household (according to Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan)

Power Exporter 9000 is powered by vehicles equipped with external power output. After confirming the vehicle is ready to output electricity, the car is to connected to the Power Exporter 9000, which is then switched on. The Power Exporter 9000 communicates with the vehicle, and once ready, draws DC electricity from the vehicle, which is converted to and outputted as AC electricity which can be used to power household electrical equipment. The Power Exporter 9000 can output both AC100V and AC200V simultaneously, powering a wide range of equipment - from low-load electronics such as smartphones, to high-load appliances such as lights and heating.

To use a vehicle equipped with eternal power output as a “power source on wheels,” the external power output device needs to be portable. The Power Exporter 9000 has a high 9kVA output, yet is small enough to fit in the Clarity Fuel Cell’s trunk.

One factor leading to its compact design is the converter’s layout. By designing a 2-layer circuit board (rather than the conventional 1 layer), a more compact converter could be designed.

Also, by leaving the space between the circuit boards hollow rather than filled using molding material, only one side of each board is molded. Although this causes different thermal expansion rates on each side of the circuit board, increasing the chance of board warping or cracking, breathing holes in the circuit boards alleviate this problem, and also decrease weight.

Efficient packaging is realized by dividing the 9kVA output unit into five sub-units, increasing design flexibility. By designing a layout to efficiently dissipate heat from the high-capacity converter and inverter, less cooling fans are required, optimizing the compact design.

The ability for one person to handle and transport the Power Exporter 9000 was a requisite, leading to the inclusion of a handle bar and wheels. Weight could have been saved without these components, but portability would also be sacrificed, which was not an option for Honda which has developed portable generators for decades.

Weight increase was minimized by using light materials: Aluminum for the handle bar and resin for the wheels. Honda also designed the Power Exporter 9000 to be smooth for both transportation by car, and on its own wheels, by aiming to realize both stability during transportation by car, and ease-of-operation while being moved on its own wheels. The Power Exporter 9000 is designed so that it will not move when stored in a vehicle’s trunk, yet can be transported easily on its own as its wheels will only touch the ground when the handle bar is raised.

The Power Exporter 9000 has other features for ease-of-operation such as storage within the unit for feed cables.

The Power Exporter 9000 utilizes Honda’s extensive experience in developing portable generator technologies. Since the release of its first generator in 1965, a compact, portable generator powered by gasoline, customers all over the world use Honda’s generators. Portable generators are popular not only for work and outdoor leisure, but as backup power during outages.

Portable generators need to be able to power a wide range of electric equipment, just like a household power outlet. Honda’s unique sine-wave inverter suppresses waveform distortion harmful to electric equipment, and controls and outputs according to load (usage), a suitable, clean sine-wave. The knowhow gained through developing such high-performance generators is integral to the Power Exporter 9000.

The high-voltage electricity supplied by a vehicle is converted from DC electricity to a constant output, stabilized to a clean sine-wave using an inverter, and is then output as 100V and 200V AC electricity. The converter utilizes LLC resonance to realize a high efficiency with low noise.

This allows the Power Exporter 9000 to power delicate electronic equipment such as personal computers and precision instruments. Honda has conducted proof-of-concept experiments to confirm that portable medical equipment can operate when connected to the Power Exporter 9000 in emergency situations. The Power Exporter 9000’s high 9kVA output, and consistent high-quality electricity output performance, make it ideal as a power source for shelters during a disaster, to more familiar situations such as powering household electrical equipment and computers.

Enriching various lifestyle scenes by getting connected with automobiles equipped with external power output Power Exporter 9000 is the world’s first external power output device to be registered with the CHAdeMo Association’s V2L certification. V2L is the supplying of electricity from vehicles equipped with external power output to electrical equipment, and the Power Exporter 9000 has been certified according to guidelines ensuring electrical safety and compatibility between vehicles and devices. The Power Exporter 9000’s certification also ensures high compatibility with FCVs, EVs and PHEVs equipped with external power output, not only from Honda, but from other manufacturers.

Electricity output from vehicles widely varies (from 150V to 450V for example), requiring a number of steps to ensure correct conversion to standard AC power. Honda carefully interpreted provisions within the guidelines, and realized specifications that are highly compatible with other manufacturers’ vehicles, resulting in the world’s first certification. The Power Exporter 9000 connected to a vehicle equipped with external power output, provides household power for emergency situations, and a wide range of ordinary uses such as outdoor recreation and events. The Power Exporter 9000’s high versatility enriches lifestyles.

* Electric Vehicle Charge/Discharge System Guideline (V2L Guideline DC), Certified February 2016