Honda FCX Clarity

[JPS]

Zero-Emission Hydrogen Powered Fuel Cell Sedan

The most distinctive feature of the FCX Clarity—other than the fuel cell itself—is the streamlined layout made possible by its compact and efficient powertrain components.

The fuel cell combines hydrogen with oxygen to make electricity. The electricity then powers the electric motor, which in turn propels the vehicle. Water is the only byproduct the FCX Clarity leaves behind.

Unfortunately:

A limited number of vehicles will be leased to Southern Californians during the summer of 2008, and only 150 will be produced in the first 3 years.

Even though the very small number of cars being made, it is nice to know that Honda is still working on alternative fuel types.

Heres a Home Energy Station Honda is also working on

[H2SO4]

Re: Honda FCX Clarity

Fuel cell cars are awesome, and totally the way to go. They are good in just about every way, the only downside is the fuel cell itself is pretty expensive to manufacture, and therefore the car is kind of pricey.

[Stormy]

Re: Honda FCX Clarity

Fuel cell cars are awesome, and totally the way to go. They are good in just about every way, the only downside is the fuel cell itself is pretty expensive to manufacture, and therefore the car is kind of pricey.

Not true. It takes a great deal of energy to seperate Hydrogen from Oxygen (in water), and where do you think all that energy is comeing from? Darn tootin', fossil fuel power plants. Worst of all, the car is powered by electricity (thats what the fuel cell does, make electric power). So its basically an electric car, but with the added hassle of the fuel cell as a middle man.

[The Toecutter]

Re: Honda FCX Clarity

Fuel cell car prototypes are roughly $1 million each. But this is because prototypes are expensive.

Mass production is needed to reduce costs.

Fuel cell cars, even if mass produced, could never be competitive with gasoline powered cars today. Why? The fuel cells extensively use platinum. In mass production, the fuel cell stack would drop to about $300 per peak horsepower. This is just for the fuel cell stack, and does not include the H2 storage tanks, the chassis itself, the electric motor(s), the control system, the batteries used for load leveling, ect.

Their performance is poor. Due to all of the losses inherent in gfuel cell cars, getting 0-60 mph in under 10 seconds is difficult.

Even Toyota cites their goal of a $50,000 fuel cell car by 2020 as optimistic.

Fuel cell cars are going up in range, such as the GM's Sequel getting 300 miles per tank of hydrogen, but battery electric cars can do even better.

Most H2 is extracted from natural gas extracted from crude oil, and the US department of Energy plans to keep things this way; the oil companies like it because you are still dependent on them for fuel and hydrogen filling stations are expensive and dangerous, making them cost prohibitive from installing in your own home, keeping you dependent on a 'filling station' of some sort.

Nevermind that developing the infrastructure for hydrogen cars will cost trillions.

When factoring in the losses in manufacturing, shipping, and compressing hydrogen, and accounting for losses in the fuel cell, a fuel cell cars is about as efficient as a gasoline powered car.

Fuel cell membranes fail after 2,000 hours of operation. Are you ready to put forward tens of thousands of dollars for a new one after about 50,000 miles of use? The auto industry likes that idea; it's some expensive item to maintain. In contrast, batteries are much cheaper per mile, so much so that they are cheaper than using gasoline.

In contrast, battery electric cars if mass produced could cost less than gasoline ones, can go as far as gasoline ones with the right battery types(Solectria Sunrise- 373 miles per charge, AC Propulsion TZero- 300 miles per charge, ect.), are about twice as efficient as gasoline or H2 fuel cell cars well to wheels, can be plugged into any available electrical outlet for "fueling"(including your own home; no filling station needed), many have been built that out-perform Ferraris and Lamborghinis(The Eliica from Keio University does 0-60 mph in 4 seconds and has topped over 231 mph on a test track before running out of room to accelerate more; the designer says it will do 250 mph; the AC Propulsion TZero does 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds), NiMH batteries designed for EVs last decades(Chevron has control over it and keeps it from being used in electric cars) and even Li Ion batteries can last 125,000+ miles in an assembled pack that would cost under $13,000 in mass production of EVs(making the break even point at under $2.80/gallon gas for lithium ion and under $1.30/gallon gas for NiMH)...




Yet the automakers are pushing fuel cells, which may never be viable, when battery electric cars have been viable since the 1990s.

Why?

Electric cars actually work and will save you money, and this is bad for corporate profits.


Enjoy your high gas prices. The push to change needs to be increased before we will actually see change that is noticable.

[JPS]

Re: Honda FCX Clarity

Well we better figure something out by 2020, thats when scientists predict all oil supplies in the earth will be depleted.

At least I heard that about 5 years ago

[Stormy]

Re: Honda FCX Clarity

I was hopeing you'd post and straighten them out Terr

[DK]

Re: Honda FCX Clarity

Uh, straighten who out, exactly?

[Cosmic Jeff]

Re: Honda FCX Clarity

You and your smart mouth.

[Stormy]

Re: Honda FCX Clarity

JPS and Pheonix thought Hydrogen Fuel Cells were the way to go, and Terr straightened them out.

Jeff will have to straighten your mouth out

[JPS]

Re: Honda FCX Clarity

[Stormy]

Re: Honda FCX Clarity

Since when did you have a beard?

[JPS]

Re: Honda FCX Clarity

I have one, just not as profound as that one.