Honda Announces Production Hydrogen Car
Joining the ranks of BMW and their Hydrogen 7, Honda has just announced a production car that runs completely on hydrogen: the Honda FCX Clarity. With the obvious benefits of nonpolluting hydrogen and no need for expensive and environmentally harmful fossil fuel, such a vehicle could prove extremely popular with the green-minded and economically prudent alike.
The car is not yet widely available, the drawback being the current lack of hydrogen filling stations; but starting this summer a limited number of these ~automobiles will be leased to Southern Californians in the municipalities of Torrance, Santa Monica and Irvine. If you are fortunate enough to live in one of these places, you can lease an FCX Clarity for $600 a month, the three-year lease also including a three-year maintenance plan. For those of us not residing in these areas, Honda states on their website that as more hydrogen fueling stations become available, more of the cars will be released.
One does wonder why it couldn’t be worked out to have at least temporary hydrogen pumps at Honda dealers to service customers until stations become more common. It’s hard to imagine that Honda service personnel have to drive to one of the three public filling stations in Southern California in order to fill up these vehicles so that people can lease them.
For individuals who can get their hands on one, however, and for those of us who will want one in the future, the advantages are numerous. The FCX Clarity can drive 280 miles on a tank—almost as far as a gasoline car—and gets higher fuel efficiency than a gasoline car or hybrid, the equivalent of 74 miles per gallon of gasoline. Hydrogen can be easily obtained from domestic sources, and the only emission is water vapor. The vehicle has a top speed of 100 mph so won’t have any problems going all the places gasoline-powered cars go. Also, unlike electric-powered vehicles, it does not require recharging.
The car will comfortably seat four passengers in heated and cooled seats, and comes with most amenities you would expect, including XM Satellite Radio, an MP3/auxiliary input jack, an onboard navigation system with voice recognition, and a rearview camera.
A significant percentage of the seating material in the FCX Clarity is derived from plants to extend its environmental sensibility even further. The Honda Bio-Fabric provides a CO2 reduction of 30 percent compared to conventional polyester made from petroleum products. It also provides elasticity, which helps to prevent sagging, and it is soft to the touch as well as being durable enough to withstand everyday wear and tear.
The vehicle is powered by what are known as hydrogen fuel cell stacks. Each fuel cell combines hydrogen with oxygen to make electricity, which is then stored in a lithium-ion battery. A power drive unit governs the electrical flow, and the battery then powers the electric motor.
Another feature of the car is its safety, since it has passed all the same U.S. Safety Standards as the rest of Honda’s automotive line.
The production of the Honda FCX Clarity bodes well for the future of alternative-fuel vehicles—a welcome message to all of us who must drive.
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