Honda FCX Clarity Review

With growing concerns about our environment, there have been positive steps and advancements in controlling harmful chemicals in our environment, especially in vehicles. Unveiled at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, the zero-emission Honda, called the FCX Clarity. The vehicle runs solely on a hybrid of hydrogen and electricity. The cool thing about this vehicle is that it only emits water. Also, it is much more efficient than the current green cars by about two times, and standard gasoline fueled cars by three. The Honda FCX Clarity green vehicle can reach speeds of 100 mph.

This is not the first model of the zero emission FCX by any means, the first prototype of the Honda FCX was developed in 1999. The 1999 zero emission prototypes came in two varieties, the Honda FCX V1 was a hydrogen model, and the Honda FCX V2 was a methanol-fuel cell model. Although these never saw American streets, they paved the way for the revolutionary environmental car. The 2002 model of the Honda FCX was the first delivered zero emission model, and went from zero to sixty in eleven seconds. The retail price for the zero-emission vehicle was $100,000 to $200,000. The 2002 Honda FCX was only issued to a very select few, mostly of the governmental variety. The exception is Jon Spallino of southern California owns a 2002 model of the zero emission vehicle, and he has become a spokesman for the Honda FCX. He also will own the Honda FCX Clarity.

The downside of these zero emission Honda FCX vehicles is the lack of hydrogen fuel stations. In California, the governor has working with Honda to set up more hydrogen fuel stations, reporting that it received about 50,000 applications. The Honda Company is only seriously considering locations like Santa Monica, Torrance, and Irvine for possible hydrogen fuel stations at this point. Luckily, Honda predicts that they will start mass producing vehicles based on the Honda FCX concept in 2018, and hopefully by that time a lot of the hydrogen station issues will be sorted out.

With the depleting of the ozone layer we must explore other solutions than fossil fuels, and with the zero emission Honda FCX Clarity, it seems to be in reach. Although the vehicle is out of the price range of most, it certainly is a very progressive step. Basically stating, if the Honda Company can create a vehicle that only emits water, other companies may take even extra steps to cut down their emissions as well.