Honda's new zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell car rolled off the production line this week to a star-studded greeting. The FCX Clarity, which runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water and none of the noxious fumes believed to induce global warming.
It is also two times more energy efficient than a gas-electric hybrid and three times that of a standard gasoline-powered car.
Honda expects to lease about 70 units, principally in Hollywood, this year and about 200 units within three years. The car is available on a three-year lease costing about $600 a month, including maintenance and accident insurance.
Among the first customers are actress Jamie Lee Curtis and filmmaker husband Christopher Guest, actress Laura Harris, film producer Ron Yerxa, as well as businessmen Jon Spallino and Jim Salomon.
“It's so smooth,” says Harris, who played villainess Marie Warner on the hit TV drama 24. “It's like a future machine ... but it's not.”
Yerxa says he's excited to show off the garnet-coloured, four-door sedan and says there is plenty of interest in the car.
The FCX Clarity has a range of about 435km per tank with hydrogen consumption equivalent to 3.1 litres per 100km, according to the carmaker. The 1630kg vehicle can reach speeds up to 160km/h. It is powered by a fuel-cell stack that uses an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to convert chemical energy into electricity to power the motor.
It is an improvement of its previous-generation fuel cell vehicle, the FCX, from 2005. A breakthrough in the design of the fuel cell stack, the unit that powers the car's motor, allowed engineers to lighten the body, expand the interior and increase efficiency, Honda says. The fuel cell draws on energy synthesised through a chemical reaction between hydrogen gas and oxygen in the air, and a lithium-ion battery pack provides extra power.
Honda has been working on fuel cell systems since 1989.
It was the first manufacturer to receive commercial certification for a fuel cell car and has 10 previous-generation fuel cell vehicles in experimental use around the world.
However, the company's short-term focus is continued development of its petrol-electric hybrid vehicles.
Honda Australia senior director Lindsay Smalley has called on governments to offer incentives for hybrids.
“As with any new technology, it will take time for hybrids to be widely accepted,” he said.
“Honda believes abolishing federal import tariffs and cutting stamp duty and registration on hybrid vehicles would greatly assist their presence on our roads and give consumers a wider choice of hybrid motoring options.”
Honda was the first to sell hybrids here with the Insight in 2000. It now sells the Civic Hybrid, but another hybrid vehicle is expected next year.
This new car is smaller and is expected to cost about two-thirds of the Civic price, making it the cheapest hybrid on offer in Australia.
