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Honda Motor Co. has recently announced that it will begin limited production of its FCX-Clarity, a sleek-looking sedan powered by a hydrogen fuel-cell. Honda will initially make “a few dozen” available for lease this year at $600 per month. Over the next three years, Honda will raise the number of vehicles available to 200. While not the first of its kind, the new FCX represents great steps forward in practicality for hydrogen-powered cars.
The car’s motor draws power from a fuel-cell “stack,” a complex layering of hydrogen and specific metals that results in chemical reactions creating energy. Combined with a lithium-ion battery, the car achieves an equivalent of 74 miles per gallon. More importantly than MPGs, though, is what comes out the exhaust pipe: Nothing but water.
Hydrogen creates power without any of the harmful byproducts that come from combusting fossil fuels. In the past, these fuel cells have been heavy and cumbersome, but Honda’s new stack is 400 pounds lighter than previous generations while producing more power, bringing the FCX to a svelte 3600 pounds and increasing drivability. With 134 horsepower and 189 pound-feet of torque, it can top out at over 100 mph and drive like a normal sedan. And it feels like a normal sedan, with amenities like a state-of-the-art stereo, adaptive cruise control, navigation and dual climate control.
The most limiting factor for hydrogen fuel cells is the availability of fueling stations. While the number of stations is increasing and should greatly accelerate in the next few years, they are still hard to come by. For this reason, Honda only accepted applications to lease the FCX from people near Santa Monica, Irvine and Torrance, CA. Though its 270-mile range is ample, and far greater than previous fuel-cells, it would be a bummer to get stuck too far away from the nearest refueling station.
A significant step beyond standard gas-burning hybrids, the FCX’s limited production shows that a lot of work still needs to be done. However, the fact that it’s been released at all means that there are plausible alternatives to fossil fuel, and they’re closer than we think.
