Honda is moving towards one direction. And that is to produce environmentally friendly focus product lines. And the latest aftermath of such goal is the zero-emission sedan dubbed FCX Clarity, shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
As the auto show kicked off this week, the Japanese automaker launched its new FCX Clarity, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. The head turner, sleek sedan, which the automaker intends to begin leasing to a limited number of Southern California drivers next summer, is inspired by another Honda concept vehicle introduced in 2005. According to reports, the sedan will be available on a 3-year lease for $600 a month, making it the first fuel-cell car to be offered to the general public.
According to Dan Bonawitz, head of logistics at American Honda, the Clarity will get an equivalent combined city and highway fuel economy of 68 miles per gallon, which doubles that of the Accord. Bonawitz added the fuel-cell car is for drivers “who want to be on the absolute cutting edge of gasoline-free technology.”
John Voelcker, automotive editor of IEEE Spectrum, the magazine for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, said the introduction of the Clarity represents more than just a cool new alternative-fuel car.
“We’ve got Honda and Chevy starting to put out these advanced-technology vehicles in noticeable numbers now — that’s a big difference from just a few years ago,” Voelcker said. “[Fuel-cell technology] is expensive, and it takes a long time in terms of research and development, but it’s getting real.”
GM said Wednesday it will put 100 hydrogen fuel cell-powered Chevy Equinox compact SUVs on the road in California, New York and Washington, D.C., next year, giving them to hand-picked users. The largest American automaker said it aims to have vehicles running on hydrogen in showrooms by 2011 or 2012, and expects to ramp up production to about 1 million vehicles a year worldwide after 2012.
“Consider that just a few years ago every fuel-cell vehicle was a multimillion-dollar prospect and each one was hand-built,” said Voelcker. “Now, all of a sudden you’re seeing automakers talk about higher numbers. In its last round, GM had a dozen or so; now they’re putting out about 100. Honda will probably put out that number too, and within a few years you could see thousands, and then tens of thousands, and one day up to a million on the road.”
Ford, meanwhile, is still some way behind when it comes to fuel-cell vehicles. President and CEO Alan Mulally said the automaker is at least 10 years from offering a fuel-cell car, in part because Ford is concerned about the safety of the highly flammable lithium-ion batteries used in the vehicles.
“We’re not there yet,” Mulally said Wednesday at the Los Angeles show, adding that the prospect of a vehicle that emits nothing but water is “one compelling vision.” Mulally’s comments came as he unveiled the automaker’s “Blueprint for Sustainability,” a plan to boost the fuel-efficiency of its gas-powered vehicles and aggressively develop a range of alternative-fuel technologies like plug-in hybrids, which can be recharged from the power grid, and hydrogen fuel cells.
Honda said it is working to develop a “Home Energy Station” — a device that converts natural gas into hydrogen. As the hydrogen supply infrastructure expands, Honda plans to make a greater number of FCX Clarity vehicles available to the public. We can hope similar technology to be applied by the maker of Acura axle assembly, Honda’s luxury division.
Despite the obvious obstacles, Honda is committed to taking fuel-cell vehicles mainstream said Tetsuo Iwamura, president and CEO of American Honda. “The challenges are real, but we are determined to overcome them,” he said.
via: MSNBC