Honda Unveils Zero-Emission Automobile

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Emits Only Water; Limited Number Headed To Southern California

(AP)  Honda's new zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell car rolled off a Japanese production line Monday and is headed to southern California, where Hollywood is already abuzz over the latest splash in green motoring.

The FCX Clarity, which runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water and none of the gases 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, the company says.

Honda expects to lease out a "few dozen" units this year and about 200 units within a year. In California, a three-year lease will run $600 a month, which includes maintenance and collision coverage.

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," said Harris, who played villainness Marie Warner on the hit TV show "24." "It's like a future machine, but it's not."

Harris, Spallino and Yerxa were flown to the ceremony, courtesy of Honda. Yerxa says he's excited to show off the car and believes there's "a lot of interest."

The biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel cell vehicles are cost and the dearth of hydrogen fuel stations. For the Clarity's release in California, Honda said it received 50,000 applications through its Web site but considered only buyers living near hydrogen fuel stations in Torrance, Santa Monica and Irvine.

"This is indeed a historic day for both Honda and American Honda - a new chapter in our nearly fifty-year history in America," said John Mendel, a senior vice president at America Honda Motor Co. at a morning ceremony here. "It's an especially significant day for American Honda as we plant firm footsteps toward the mainstreaming of fuel cell cars."

Initially, however, the Clarity will go only to a chosen few starting July and then launch in Japan this fall.

Although Honda Motor Co. was the first Japanese automaker to launch a gas-electric hybrid vehicle in the U.S. in 1999, it has been outpaced by the dominance of Toyota's popular Prius.

Toyota announced in May that it has sold more than 1 million Prius hybrids, while both the Honda Insight and the hybrid Accord have been discontinued due to poor sales.

The FCX Clarity is part of Honda's plan to keep pace with rivals in green technology. It also plans to launch a gas-electric hybrid-only model, as well as hybrid versions of the Civic, the sporty CR-Z and Fit subcompact.

[afmca]

This is why the American car manufacturer is doomed. While they spend their money on bribing Congress to retain the status quo on fuel efficiency; the Japanese continue to take the lead on creating fuel and environmentally efficient cars. By legislating the status quo Congress once again takes the short term business approach to CEO bonuses versus the long term viability of the industry. This has nothing to do with the American worker and everything to do with the stupidity of the American corporate executive.

[aeasus]

The biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel cell vehicles are cost and the dearth of hydrogen fuel stations.
________________________________

an inadequate supply...........this has to be the stupidest reason I''ve ever heard! A simple home based H2 generator would surfice!

[extremophil]

It''s only proper to let the celebrities have the first pick of these autos, so they can cancel out the "carbon footprints" of their jets, mansions, and limos.

[boyntonbe]

aeasus, afmca

Right on!!!! and thanks for the H2 gen comment.

While the oil and auto lobby play with higher gas mileage cars --which doesn''t get us away from their precious black gold--others around the world are inventing new proplulsion ideas. One is going to stick. In recent decades, anything new re: lower consumption or savings, the ideas were bought up by big oil, and put in a vault. Remember the end of the first Indy Jones movie where his prize ancient find was stuck on a shelf???

[l8c6]

Who killed the electric car? Check it out. General motors built some electric vehicles and had test runner in California under a similar project a few years ago and in the end the vehicles were taken back and destroyed. There is trillions of dollars of oil left in the earth and regardless of what it does to the future of humanity to continue building infrastructure around it, the people who control energy have much profit to lose should something else come along that sharply reduces demand for oil.

[l8c6]

Cheney might be driving one of these "green" cars in the new "green" city of the global elite, Dubai, his new residence.

How much belief in Allah and God does anyone from Dubai really have? Religion is used against the people as a form of social control.

[dukedodge]

As for Hydrogen Fuel stations...build them and we will come!

[dukedodge]

Hydrogen is not renewable per se. It''s UNLIMITED!

[lochlan-2009]

"Honda expects to lease out a "few dozen" units this year and about 200 units within a year."

Lease? So no ownership, they will be taking them back. Surprising similarities to the EV-1 and at $600/month (minus tax incentive) for the movie stars having such a hard time affording these gas prices. What tax incentive does Honda get for these cars?

Imagine these cars with tax reimbursed solar panels and a pond (or rain catch) on your property. They obviously are not planning on keeping these out there though.

[djberson]

At least it is better looking than that fugly prius.

[neonink]

Try Home Fuel Stations?

Honda is working on that as well.

In 2003 Honda established an experimental Home Energy Station that generates hydrogen from natural gas for use in fuel cell vehicles, while supplying ...

http://world.honda.com/FuelCell/FCX/station/

[singingrick]

If we had only spent the 3 trillion dollars we''re spending in Iraq on developing technologies like this, we''d be exporting it to the world by now. Instead we''re exporting blood and dollars to import oil. This is the result of so called "conservative" leadership. Instead of looking after our nations future and security, they''ve been taking care of oil companies.


Thanks Bushies!

[pat1967-2009]

How about giving them to engineers like me, so someone with some technical knowledge will be able to properly evaluate these vehicles. As for the supply of Hydrogen; why not sell a small electrolysis appliance along with the car so the owner can make their own fuel? Why not dedicate a few hundred square miles of the desert southwest to the production of Hydrogen via solar power? Seems a no brainer to me%u2026

[pat1967-2009]

Try Home Fuel Stations?

Honda is working on that as well.

In 2003 Honda established an experimental Home Energy Station that generates hydrogen from natural gas for use in fuel cell vehicles, while supplying ...

http://world.honda.com/FuelCell/F
CX/station/



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by neonink at 10:19 AM : Jun 16, 2008

This idea, while working in the short term, is really a non-starter for me. The use of natural gas implies an open carbon cycle. Unless the carbon is cleanly sequestered somehow we are not really fixing the long term problem of CO2.

[lovegetpeace]

Folks,
After all the huge profits American car manufacturers made in the last 20 years selling SUVs and Trucks, Japaneses car manufacturers lead the world to the future.

Shame on Wall Streets and Americans.

[fishinfool43]

Way to go Honda!! I wonder how many ideas like this were bought up by oil companies to keep us at their mercy and keep their record profits going up. It''s no wonder why American car manufacturers are getting their azzes kicked. They deserve every bit of it.
I have owned several cars from 1963-1969 full size with small V8 motors that got at least 20 mpg. There hasn''t been much improvement in 45 years

[pat1967-2009]

smcoh326---

Al Gore aside, reducing our CO2 emissions can do nothing but be a positive. What bothers me about CO2 is that it is not in equilibrium in our atmosphere. It has been on a steady increase since the beginning of the industrial era. As the Earth is more or less a closed system, everything that is done on the planet somehow affects something else. We can not continue to increase CO2 in the atmosphere without something happening eventually. I''m not suggesting here what that may be, but something will happen.

[pkeberly]

"After all the huge profits American car manufacturers made in the last 20 years selling SUVs and Trucks, Japaneses car manufacturers lead the world to the future"

Ford did, check the date:
http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_display.cfm?release=19297

What ever can be done to get away from oil consumeing vehicles is find with me.

[mjm121]

Posted by smcoh326 at 10:45 AM : Jun 16, 2008

You are simply a lunatic. You don''t have to be a fan of Al Gore or a believer in the green movement to want to pollute less. I just understand people like you. Less polluting good wether or not you believe in global warming.

[aeasus]

Any fuel source that breaks the monopoly oil has on transportation is a step in the right direction. If oil had to compete for it''s sales it would be much cheaper!!!!!

[aeasus]

Sadly CBS has removed this story from the "main" headlines :(

[godofredo29]

This is the beginning of the end for big oil.

[gmcnally2]

It is ridiculous that they are going to use the fuel cell instead of electric. We could all generate our own energy and then what would they sell us? Let''s go Nanosolar and EEstor, how about some updates and production?

[ouwxquack]

Hate to break it to you guys, but water (vapor) is a greenhouse gas and it can make things just as nasty as CO2. It''s a great idea to try and get distanced from big oil, but the efficiency and overall use of hydrogen is not any better (in fact, worse) than gasoline. Go electric!

[aggiekat2004]

Yeah, but the American auto makers are tied into the gas and oil companies...

Lobbyists, special interests...it''s all corrupt.

While we''re at it, why don''t we tap into some of the abundant oil under our OWN country, and ease the pain?

[enlightenu]

Hate to break it to you guys, but water (vapor) is a greenhouse gas and it can make things just as nasty as CO2. It''''s a great idea to try and get distanced from big oil, but the efficiency and overall use of hydrogen is not any better (in fact, worse) than gasoline. Go electric!
Posted by ouwxquack at 01:31 PM : Jun 16, 2008

Actually water vapor reflects sunlight back into space before it hits the ground, thus reducing heating.

[pat1967-2009]

The advantage of fuel cell/electric over battery/electric is increased range and less time to recharge. Current battery/electrics (nice pun) take almost as much time to charge as they do to discharge otherwise battery life suffers.

While it is true that water vapor (clouds) holds heat near the ground at night it also reflects heat back into space during the day. Try to convince the folks in Seattle or San Francisco that water vapor is causing their cities to heat up. I think that they would laugh you out of town.

[ouwxquack]

Actually, that''s not how water vapor works. As a meteorologist, I suggest reading about positive feedback loops caused by water vapor.

[fstop100]

Look out the oil companies will be after you.
electric cars work

why can''t we build small nuclear power plants?
we put them on submarines and carriers.
Don''t tell me we don''t have the technology.
Big Oil just doesn''t want us to stop buying their oil.

[cyinzl8r]

Where does hydrogen come from? Most say oh just put a battery in some water and then electrolosys makes hydrogen. Sure if you want to throw %97 of your energy away. Where is the cheapest place to get hydrogen? OIL you freakin geniuses.

[cyinzl8r]

I hope that people will take a realistic look at what electric cars are currently able to do. I drive most every day to work about 25 miles round trip. We have the technology right now to make a car that will go 250 miles on one charge and will use (zero) gallons of gasoline.

http://www.spectrum.ieee.or
g/apr07/5012/2

PUT UP OR SHUT UP. where does electricity come from. How much is lost in the transfer of said electricity. GET REAL.

[bobgee_1999]

Anybody starting to understand why we should have listened to "environmentalist wackoes" years ago? Because then we would have been doing the research and development, then we we would hold the patents on this technology, then we would have a piece of the market, then our economy wouldn''t be in the *** because we can''t afford oil. Don''t worry about learning from our mistakes---we never do.

[Latrocinor]

Meanwhile Ford, Dodge, and GM are all scratching their heads, closing plants, and eliminating product lines trying to figure out how to keep up with the much, much more progressive and better run foreign car makers.

Posted by hungry1968
.. .. ..

The Wall Street Journal has reported on the auto manufacturing production facilities moving to the USA from Europe.

[toolmangler-2009]

A car body covered with solar cells can reduce the cost of the production of hydrogen for the fuel cell.

[aeasus]

The best part about H2 is it doesn''t have to come from oil. We now have options. H2 can be extracted electrically,chemically,filtering NG,and other methods. These sources of energy to make H2 can come from green technologies. From the energy source to your tailpipe can be ZERO emissions.

Also, if there is competition for fuels,prices will become cheaper.

[aeasus]

But of the four, NONE involve shipping tankers of cash to nations that foster and harbor terrorists.

That in itself is a win-win situation.

Posted by hungry1968 at 04:37 PM : Jun 16, 2008
-----------------------------------

Amen to that statement!!!!!!!!!!

[Latrocinor]

I hope that people will take a realistic look at what electric cars are currently able to do. I drive most every day to work about 25 miles round trip. We have the technology right now to make a car that will go 250 miles on one charge and will use (zero) gallons of gasoline.

http://www.spectrum.ieee.or
.. .. ..
Exactly. There are hobby hydrogen car enthusiasts that currently are using home made hydrogen and getting ranges commonly in the 100 mile range and some of the better financially endowed use high pressure tanks and are in the 200 + mile range.

What is exciting is the hobbyists that are producing their hydrogen with solar cells.

[hangelle]

Somebody out there, send me a legitimate website that shows how to convert a car to hydrogen

[hober_mallow]

"What is exciting is the hobbyists that are producing their hydrogen with solar cells..."

Well, there''s your problem. How the heck is the gov''t going to tax, and the corporations make a profit on, something that everyone can make at home?

[aeasus]

How the heck is the gov''''t going to tax...........

Posted by hober_mallow at 05:50 PM : Jun 16, 2008
_______________________________

Toll booths,odometer,hobbs meter,etc.....

[hober_mallow]

How the heck is the gov''''''''t going to tax...........

Posted by hober_mallow at 05:50 PM : Jun 16, 2008
_______________________________

nToll booths,odometer,hobbs meter,etc.....

Thank you. You are correct. That still leaves out the corporations'' profits.

[pat1967-2009]

Consensus

Actually, that''''s not how water vapor works. As a meteorologist, I suggest reading about positive feedback loops caused by water vapor.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ouwxquack at 02:55 PM : Jun 16, 2008

Actually, I have. Water vapor seems to only cause a significant positive feedback loop if there is no cloud formation. Currently there is very little consensus on the resultant effects of increased atmospheric water vapor as clouds usually form thus reducing the feedback.

I am fairly certain that a sunny day over any given ocean will add more water vapor to the atmosphere than many millions of fuel cell vehicles. I would opt for a few more clouds over the continued use of fossil fuels. In other words, vapor emissions from all but the most concentrated areas of use will be very difficult to measure above background.

[Latrocinor]

Somebody out there, send me a legitimate website that shows how to convert a car to hydrogen

Posted by hangelle
.. .. ..

There aren''t any that I can find. I joined some internet newsgroups/clubs and the scammers are there too.

So buyer beware.

[Latrocinor]

Somebody out there, send me a legitimate website that shows how to convert a car to hydrogen

Posted by hangelle

.. .. ..

If you want to see what some of your tax dollars have been up to here''s a couple of suggestions.

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/tech_validation/h2_manual.html

http://www.eere.energy.gov/

[Latrocinor]

Somebody out there, send me a legitimate website that shows how to convert a car to hydrogen

Posted by hangelle

.. .. ..
Here''s about the closest I came to a conversion step-by-step.

http://www.clean-air.org/Hydrogen%20Cobra%20Story/Hydrogen%20Cobra.htm

[caldwellptr]

Some one please tell me why the Honda FCX Clarity automobile is call a zero-initials vehicle. It clearly has initials in the name. Hello! FCX. Why is the world so pre-occupied with zero-initial cars. You would think they would be trying to better gas mileage instead. I wouldn''t buy a car just because it has zero-initials ....

[caldwellptr]

Zero-emmissions? Oh.

Never Mind.

[mgpm-2009]

I''m sad that an AMERICAN company didn''t come up with this FIRST.

This is technology we need. Not more oil dependence or drilling. The US government should be helping with this...helping cars get to Americans, helping stations get established. NOW not later!!!

[edintex]

Oh boy, hydrogen is the answer. We should ALL be driving around with hydrogen tanks under us to save the world....... Isn''t hydrogen EXTREMELY EXPLOSIVE; more than gasoline? That''s a great idea! Lets put our spouses and children on top of hydrogen tanks and run around the city streets with millions of other cars! Better yet, lets have NUMEROUS tankers FULL OF HYDROGEN on our roads!!! You think that MAYBE the U.S. auto makers looked into the hydrogen idea years ago and decided it was a little dangerous?