By Robert Farago
November 21, 2007 - 7,977 views
Honda is about to offer the hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity to "customers" on a limited long-term lease basis. For 600 bucks a month, a handful of lucky leaseholders will get to boast that their car is cleaner than Mitt Romney's closet, and fill-up… at home. According to American Honda chief executive Tetsuo Iwamura, the Clarity is a "shining symbol of the progress we've made with fuel cell vehicles and of our belief in the promise of this technology." Belief in a promise. Gotcha. Just in case you didn't quite catch the fact that Mr. Iwamura is standing in a wiggle room, AFP found an expert to throw a little cold water on Ye Olde hydrogen economy. Texan Timothy Wilkins, an attorney for the firm Bracewell & Giuliani (yes, THAT Giuliani), warns that "producing hydrogen like the gasoline scale, to fully integrated in the vehicle fleet and [provide] the infrastructure for fueling stations will take one century." As Napoleon told his generals when they informed him that growing trees along French roads to shade his troops would take 100 years, "Better get on with it then, mate." Luckily, we don't have to wait that long for a test drive report on the Clarity. Once and future TTAC'er Jonny Leiberman reports to us via podcast below.
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November 21st, 2007 at 10:29 am
Texan Timothy Wilkins, an attorney for the firm Bracewell & Giuliani (yes, THAT Giuliani), warns that “producing hydrogen like the gasoline scale, to fully integrated in the vehicle fleet and [provide] the infrastructure for fueling stations will take one century.”
Bracewell & Giuliani is quoted in that article as specializing in environmental and energy regulation. I’ve seen estimates that a nationwide hydrogen fueling infrastructure could be built for $40 billion (about 4 months of Iraq war spending). That would hardly take 100 years.
Throw in a few dozen Gen IV nukes and bacteria-hydrogen plants for hydrogen production and we’ll all be stylin’ in our FCX’s.
November 21st, 2007 at 10:35 am
Johnny, I understand that you didn’t fill it up but, if you were to take it to that one gas (hydrogen) station, how much would it cost to fill up?
November 21st, 2007 at 10:57 am
How does driving the Honda FCX Clarity compare to driving the
GM Volt…Telsa roadster…Never mind.
November 21st, 2007 at 11:05 am
This is an interesting strategy by Honda to get the Fuel Cell ball a rolling. By doing the Car leasing, and Home Fueling stations, they aren’t waiting on the infrastructure to be developed before they roll out the product. I guess it parallels the pure electric vehicle without charging stations at work etc.
November 21st, 2007 at 11:24 am
And just like electric vehicles, unless you have a garage to install this fueling station, you’re SOL, which means folks in aparment buildings will see little use in purchasing a car like this.
November 21st, 2007 at 11:41 am
“On the back of your house…you’re emitting natural gas vapors”
The most part of which is… CO2 and water.
“Leaking water… unlike a normal car”
Really? Gasoline is a hydrocarbon, so the carbon part combines with air oxygen to become CO2, while the hydrogen in the gasoline combines with air oxygen to become…
…dihydrogen monoxide?
November 21st, 2007 at 11:48 am
@bfg9k
The congressional study of the impact of studying the impact of changing to a hydrogen fuelling infrastructure will cost more than $40B.
November 21st, 2007 at 11:56 am
well at least Honda is at least trying to put cars on the road. I’m reminded of GM’s Hy-wire car which continued the long tradition of concepts that don’t go anywhere.
kind of demonstrates which companies are serious about giving hydrogen fuel cells a shot and which aren’t.
for laughs here’s a trip down memory lane.
GM’s hydrogen salvation
November 21st, 2007 at 12:27 pm
And just like electric vehicles, unless you have a garage to install this fueling station, you’re SOL, which means folks in aparment buildings will see little use in purchasing a car like this.
Actually it would be very cost effective for Honda to give several of these to people int he same building and install one filling station.
November 21st, 2007 at 12:34 pm
I’ve got a deposit down on a Tesla, and a “Year 2k” bunker so this is great news to me.
November 21st, 2007 at 12:47 pm
This podcast is hilarious. Thermal butt sensor!
November 21st, 2007 at 1:01 pm
I thought you guys broke up?!?
November 21st, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Couldn’t Mr Lieberman have written a review? Or is he not a free agent?
I’d like to know if fuel cell vehicles can have a button that has “valves open in the mufflers, changing the sound from Howard Dean’s scream to Gunnery Sgt. Hartman showing Joker his war face.”
November 21st, 2007 at 6:44 pm
canfood:
I think that GM is fairly serious about hydrogen, please check out this link
November 22nd, 2007 at 7:47 am
@bfg9k:”I’ve seen estimates that a nationwide hydrogen fueling infrastructure could be built for $40 billion (about 4 months of Iraq war spending)”
I thought the war cost only one billion a month?
Anyway, I would think that the really revolutionary aspect of this car is the ventilated seats. One important (and under-reported) reason why people don’t like public transport, and don’t like carpools, is flatulance.
A great thing about being alone in your vehicle is that you can let it rip. The new seats would greatly facilitate carpools, and thus help reduce traffic and global warming.
March 13th, 2008 at 10:34 am
I think there’s a lot of consumer support for hydrogen technology. Whether Honda will be able to control the costs and other problems associated with the new FCX remains to be seen. If improvements to the Prius are any indication, however, I’d expect we’ll see a significant number of improvements to performance and costs in the coming years.