Jalopnik
The most remarkable thing about driving Honda's FCX Clarity prototype isn't how it emits nothing but water, its torquey, 13,500 rpm electric motor, the hydrogen equivalent of 68 miles per gallon or the perverse pleasure that goes with driving a multimillion-dollar automobile. It's the air-conditioned seats. Notice I said driving, because other than the whirring buzz of the motor, the Clarity goes, brakes and turns just like any other car. I had to keep reminding myself I was indeed behind the wheel of a hydrogen fuel-cell powered feat of engineering. Frankly, the Clarity feels like a slightly larger Accord. Again, Honda's latest FCX uses no gasoline whatsoever and behaves just like — no, make that exactly like — a regular car. And those AC seats? They have built-in fans to blow thermoelectrically cooled air, so no ozone-killing chlorofluorocarbons are needed to chill your fat butt. Pretty neat.
The technology behind the Clarity is basically a flashback to tenth-grade chemistry. Tank-stored gaseous hydrogen is pumped into the "stack," which consists of layer upon layer of fuel cells. Inside each cell, hydrogen gas reacts with a hydrogen electrode, causing a catalytic reaction that ionizes the hydrogen atom (electricity is of course nothing but flowing electrons). The electron-less atom (ion) next bonds with oxygen to create water, which recirculates through the stack to keep the electrolytic membranes damp, before exiting the vehicle through the tail pipe. In turn, the fuel cell stack powers an electric motor, which drives the front wheels. There is also an auxiliary lithium ion battery to store extra juice created by the stack, the motor (which behaves like a generator when decelerating) and additional energy gathered from the regenerative braking system. The battery is used during start-up or to assist the engine if the demands of the right foot exceed the power output of the stack. See? Piece of sugar-free cake.
As intense and complicated as all that sounds, you'd never suspect the FCX Clarity was anything but a run-of-the-mill Honda. While some have complained that it looks like a Hondaized Prius, the Clarity is so large as to mitigate that comparison. I maintain it looks like an elongated Accord with Infiniti G Coupe haunches, a chopped front end and a chrome new-gen Volkswagen beard. Sure, it's a little longer than the Hondas we're used to, but that's the price paid for having a fuel tank that can store enough hydrogen for a 270-mile journey while ensuring plenty of back seat legroom and a real trunk. The Clarity is also a bit wider than most Japanese mid-size family sedans because the stack is nestled between the front seats. Hey, you have plenty of elbow room.
The interior is extremely comfortable, nearly luxurious and made from all sorts of high-tech green materials, like corn. The instrument panel is similar to the current Civic but manages to crank up the Fisher-Price-meets-Buck-Rogers chic. For example, a small blue circle appears in the center of the digital dash when the Clarity is "idling." During acceleration the ball grows larger and turns green. Really stand on the go pedal and the ball morphs into a glowing-orange sun. The backseats are especially spacious. There's plenty of legroom, and the door panels are scooped out, giving the back compartment a circular feel.
Our drive started at the ritzy Fairmont Mira Mar Hotel on Ocean Drive in Santa Monica, where Autoblog Sam turned north onto Pacific Coast Highway and wound his way through Malibu and that city's recently charred canyons. I looped us back. While dealing with stop-and-go traffic in Malibu, we were surrounded on all sides by Hybrids. Every fifth car seemed to be a Prius. At one point we even found ourselves behind a Ford Escape Hybrid with a license plate that read, "NO HUMMR." I was reminded of Star Trek IV when Kirk and the boyz warp back to the year 1986 and Bones finds a woman hooked up to a kidney dialysis machine. He feeds her some pills made from super futuristic technology, unhooks her from the apparatus and declares the then contemporary state of medicine, "Barbaric." All around us people were driving vehicles that in their minds are atop the environmental food chain. Yet they're still emitting loads of dirty old carbon dioxide (and whatever else) into the atmosphere derived from a tank full of Middle Eastern crude. Meanwhile we're zooming past all of 'em, dripping only water while nestled comfortably behind the wheel of the future.
Malibu, California
Naysayers, Ron Paultards, the blindly patriotic and those not convinced that human activity is cooking our globe will all roll their eyes and dismiss the FCX Clarity as nothing but vaporware. A passing fad. A cynical gesture by Honda aimed at appeasing "environmental nazis," CAFE standards and nothing else. All that's fine, as people said similar things about Henry Ford's Model T. But even if you hate Al Gore and despise Ed Begley Jr., there's no way $100 for a barrel of oil (up from under $60 one year ago) makes you happy. Something has to give, and give in a big way.
Ford Model T
Coincidently, 2008 marks 100 years since Ford put America on wheels by rolling out the Model T. It's also the year Honda will begin leasing FCX Clarity models (and their home-based, natural gas powered hydrogen refueling stations) to select customers around Southern California and in Japan. Yes, the natural gas emits CO2, but only half as much as petroleum. More important, tank-to-wheel energy efficiency is more than double that of Honda's existing hybrids, and three times that of their small internal combustion cars like the Fit. And remember, if the hydrogen is created using green energy — solar, wind, geo-thermal, hydro or atomic — there are no greenhouse emissions whatsoever.
At this point you probably want to know how fast the FCX Clarity accelerates, its top speed and how many Gs it pulls around corners. Well, Honda didn't bother to say much about the Clarity's performance other than it's comparable to a "2.4-liter internal combustion vehicle of similar size." So, we have to guesstimate. As the 100 kW (136 hp) electric motor creates 189 ft-lb of torque from zero rpm, zero-to-60 times are most likely in the low seven-second range. Never forget that Americans buy horsepower and drive torque. Top speed is limited to 100 mph. Much more impressive is how effortlessly the Clarity cruises. At one point the speedo indicated 53 mph and I was convinced I'd accidentally switched the display to metric. A moment later we passed one of those police "your speed is" contraptions that indicated 53 good old American miles per hour. The ride, helped out by the long wheelbase, is outstanding. The Clarity weighs in at 3582 lbs. A four-cylinder Accord weighs 3,433 lbs. and the V6 model weighs 3600 lbs. Going around a corner, you'd be hard pressed to detect a difference between the three. But performance is hardly the point.
Honda FCX Engineers and their Baby
Every year I go to New York to watch the Packers play the Vikings. We watch the game at your typical sports bar with a dozen or so TVs hanging from the walls. One year a Giants or Jets game finished up early and the local station switched over to the Green Bay/Minnesota game we had until then been watching on Satellite. However, the local channel's feed was about ten seconds ahead of the satellite. "Turn it off! Turn it off!" one of the more colorful patrons began screaming, "Turn that fuckin' TV off!" We tried to reason with him, explaining that it doesn't matter if one feed is ten seconds in front of the other. "No way man," he shot back, "That's the future!"
Climbing out of the FCX Clarity and back into my own car, I couldn't help but feel the same. Sitting in the world's most heinous traffic surrounded by millions of my fellow Angelenos all burning countless zillion gallons of gasoline, how on earth is all this going to change? Where's the hydrogen infrastructure going to come from, if it comes at all? I don't know. Honda is going to stick a few refueling stations in and around Los Angeles along an already existing hydrogen pipeline (common in industrialized areas) but obviously that's not enough. Their home energy station is pretty damn useless if you live in an apartment. And the $600 per month lease is no friend to most of us. Honda (and Ford and Toyota and GM and every manufacturer investing in fuel cell technology) has a real chicken-and-egg situation on their hands. Fortunately the Honda FCX Clarity is one hell of a chicken.
Comments
not to nitpick but more interior shots would have been good.
me jealous, i love this kind of stuff.
QOTD: In the future, when we are all driving hydrogen powered cars, what kinds of high tech weapons will hydrogen station owners use to attack each other with?
Interesting to see it with people for comparison. It looks a lot smaller than I was expecting. I though it was Odessey sized. Very nice.
I refuse to believe that this car exists, because it does not fit in with my preconcieved notions about dinosaur juice being the only viable means of propelling a motor vehicle.
If it turns out I'm wrong, and the car does exist, then I will believe that somehow the car's makeup of materials, manufacturing process, or operations will somehow be worse for the environment than a big smoky V8.
And I will find a link to a website soon that supports that view.
[/snark]
"tank-to-wheel energy efficiency is more than double that of Honda's existing hybrids, and three times that of their small internal combustion cars like the Fit."
Sounds like a very promising idea for the solution to the gasoline dependency and environmental problems, especially if the hydrogen is produced with renewable resources, as mentioned in the article. And as they say, "something has got to give!" Hope to see more of this kind of news.
Looks like an odd infusion of Insight and Prius, with a little LH platform thrown in for confusion.
While I wouldn't mind cruising around emitting only water (from the car, not me!), it will be quite a while before any of this is practical.
@no_slushbox: What else? der Hindenburgs!
Amazing car.
So when greenies drive this, instead of a Prius, they're actually actually driving green.
Like Plasma and Blu-ray and aircraft carriers, this WILL be cheaper than 600/month someday. This is the first step.
For now, I'd like the blue marble-to-burning sun accelerator symbol in my Civic, please...
I am going to get this car!
So when can I swap this powerplant into an MG Midget?
@FreeMan: the only real impracticality is a lack of filling stations. that and the fact that it hydrogen is tricky to produce.
at least that is what i understand.
@lascauxcaveman: Trees consume C02, so obviously people that don't drive C02 producing cars hate trees.
@PaulE: Sweet, the future will be cooler.
@lascauxcaveman: Not to mention that buyin a furrin' car will further weaken the dollar.
@no_slushbox: trees? bush is working on getting rid of those too, just give it time.
With a home refueling station available, it seems like Honda would be able to roll out a car/fuel station package to commuters around the country. If I could afford it, I would seriously consider getting one.
@PaulE: ha ha! that's brilliant! Just a little trivia here: They did an investigation years later on what could have been the possible cause of Hindenburg's explosion, and they came out with this: research shows that the major component in the start of the fire was the skin, due to the doping compound used on it [the coatings on the fabric contained both iron oxide and aluminum-impregnated cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB). These components are potentially reactive, even after fully setting. In fact, iron oxide and aluminum are sometimes used as components of solid rocket fuel or thermite. The propellant for the Space Shuttle solid rocket booster includes "aluminum (fuel, 16%), (and) iron oxide (a catalyst, 0.4%)."] Of course hydrogen inside of the skin was the cause of most of the burning.
Not only is the technology impressive, the design/styling is too. Did Honda tell you what the drag coefficient is? It manages to look pleasingly contemporary without being too far out, resembling a conventional three-box four-door sedan, and yet your photos reveal a very aerodynamic shape. The primary backlight is nearly horizon and the greenhouse comes to a narrow terminus. I'd say easily in the 0.2something range.
@akirachan: There was a bit on Mythbusters about that. Interesting stuff. I remember seeing/reading somewhere ages ago that the hydrogen itself was the least of the Hindenburg's problems, what with how almost all of it dissipated before it could burn.
In retrospect, I suppose it was a poor idea to cover a giant damn hydrogen balloon in thermite/solid rocket fuel. The phrase "Nazi Death Machine" wasn't coined for nothing, after all (well, that and swingaxle aircooled VWs).
Back to the matter at hand: this is a really, really interesting car. There is absolutely no reason why we can't give up fossil fuels without giving up personal transportation, and if this gets off the ground, then we're well on our way. Honda has a potential Prius-killer on their hands, if they can make it halfway affordable. I like that the styling is reasonably unique, without being goofy, as well. It's a handsome, interesting-to-look-at car, regardless of the drivetrain.
@Mark Miller: We could probably get a ballpark figure for the CD if someone just parked it next to a 2nd-gen Intrepid. Those, I believe, are something like a .28, which is as low-drag as a non-exotic car gets. This Honda is a very, very similar shape (other than that it's got enough styling to not look like the big gray suppositories Chrysler used to sell).
@akirachan: i think the hydrogen would just be a quick fireball, it wouldn't make a sustained fire. i heard someone on the radio after 9/11 saying that if we ran planes on hydrogen and someone were to crash it into a building the resulting fireball would burn itself out almost immediately with no cascading fuel or other serious fire to speak of. hydrogen's better at least.
I don't get it. Why not just go from hybrid gas to plug-in hybrid gas, and then straight to plug-in only? That's going to be more efficient and as batteries improve, which will allow going beyond daily driving (like Hymotion's Prius) to full day driving (quick recharge while you sleep or eat) to multi-day non-stop driving. No new infrastructure is needed and we can get the efficiency of large power generation facilities. Further, such cars will be easier to maintain than what we seem to have with the FCX, which looks like hybrid hydrogen-electric. By the time the FCX (and similar) reach the masses, battery technology should be sufficiently developed.
@harumph: Part of the problem too is that a realistically sized fuel cell for an automobile is fairly expensive to make right now, more so than a comparable internal combustion engine. However, there are brilliant people in industry and academia working to make fuel cells realistic.
And another interesting fact, in my fuel cells class at the University of Iowa, the professor noted that the time between the initial prototypes and mass production of the internal combustion engine is roughly the same as the time between initial fuel cell prototypes and now, meaning that (if fuel cells follow roughly the same timeline as internal combustion engines), the time could be right for the mass production of a commercially viable fuel cell.
How long will it take for the oil companies to kill this one off once the ball gets rolling?
@harumph: Yeah, I don't know fo sure how much of it was hydrogen that caused the big explosion="sustained fire", but hey, if it's safer than we think, more power to hydrogen. But anyway, hydrogen cars might be like a new format that may or may not prove long-lasting but I'm all up for it. I personally believe electric vehicles would be the key to the answer. @Schalliol: I hope so too, that the battery technology would be sufficiently deveoped soon, to the point that the transition from fossil-fueled vehicle to electric would make the most sense.
Great job Honda!
I applaud any and all technology that will allow me to keep driving without refueling on the dinosaur.
I know we need oil for all sorts of things, but I grow ever more tired of being subjected to the escalating price required to run my car. I don't mind the occasional tank to fuel the fun car, but daily driving costs just piss me off.
@ Schalliol -
car makers are pursuing hydrogen because (a) after the EV1 fiasco CARB severely biased its ZEV regs in favor of FCVs, (b) the taxpayer is subsidizing the R&D and (c) PEMFCs are so expensive there is little danger their emergence will disrupt the auto industry's focus on ICEs for models that have to achieve significant unit volume.
Honda will not be making a profit on the Clarity even at $600/mo leases. Not even close.
To be fair, CARB, Congress and the auto industry have recognized that recent advances in battery technology are making plug-in hybrids and even BEVs more realistic prospects than ever. However, EPA has not yet granted California a waiver on regulating CO2, so CARB will for now have to keep its focus strictly on toxic emissions.
Hydrogen w/fuel cells is basically just a storage medium for electricity. We just need to build up the infrastructure to support these sorts of things, and start producing lots of cheap electricity via nuclear power (that's how you make all the hydrogen you'll need!)
Oh, and stop making all these alternative-power vehicles so friggen butt-ugly. Make a normal looking car. So far, only Tesla has gotten this right.
I'd buy 2 of them if it would get Little Lyin' Al Gore to STFU!
@writers-block: considering that all current viable methods of producing hydrogen (including the natural-gas based solution being offered by Honda) involve fossil fuels and that the big oil companies are some of the biggest proponents of a supposed move to a hydrogen economy, I doubt they will try to kill it. In fact that is probably the only reason why so much money is being poured into hydrogen fuel cell research instead of something more feasible (not just technologically, but also in terms of infrastructure and total cost) such as applications of nano-materials to battery technologies (e.g. a123 systems) to make quick-charging long-lasting safe batteries.
If you could recharge your car in 10 minutes, and gas stations started offering you a metered plug in point, would you consider an electric vehicle to be a nuisance? Wouldn't this infrastructure shift be much cheaper and more efficient than a move to a hydrogen economy? If a123 and a few other companies (altairnano comes to mind) are to be believed (and they seem to have the credentials and some real-world applications aswell), this could easily occur within the next decade. The real question is what the cost will be at mass production levels.
My favorite part of this car is the fact that it represents Honda getting back to being Honda. This is a product that only a risk-taking, engineering focused manufacturer could have created. And it's worlds away from the cynical, bloated new Accord. It's so cool to be around to see this.
I still won't be happy until my car resembles the spaceship from "Flight Of The Navigator".
That's my last pointless comment of the day. I promise.
Jonny: Awesome writing. That's all I've got to say.
It should have had a concave rear window (like the Citroen C5/C6)
@no_slushbox: They will use death ray disintegrater guns, of course.
This is an amazing development. Any cost factors on filling up at the neighborhood fueling station?
I also like the description of the dash graphics. Although "fireball" might not be the best image!
Prius:hybrids as Clarity:hydrogen.
Like others have said, I'm having a hard time understanding why Cars 2.0 should shift to hydrogen instead of plugin hybrids moving towards full EVs.
For reasons also @ outlined by rgseidl:, I can see why some are interested.
I'm interested in the filling process for this thing? Is it complex? Is it consistent across fill stations, i.e. is the at-home fill station set up the same way that the commercial ones are? My feeling is that consumer acceptance is going to be more tied to how familiar the daily use of the thing is than how "green" or futuristic it is.
With the market driving $100 barrel of oil, these yingyang oil companies that tout "alernative fuels research" better be taking this "Unexpected earnings" and start placing e85, Biodiesel and Hydrogen fillups at every single podunk filling station accross the country.
Though, I doubt that.
@Paul Y: I was somewhat surprised to find that the Camry since 2005 has had a 0.28 Cd, the Infiniti G35 an 0.27.
The Prius has a Cd of 0.26, generally regarded as one of the slipperiest cars on today's market. Believe it or not, though, last generation's Lexus LS430 has the same drag coefficient, as does the newest Mercedes S-class.
Incidentally, the Cd for the Intrepid/Concorde is listed as 0.298. These numbers vary with options and packages (the "Aero package" brings the G35 to 0.26; air suspension brings the LS430 to 0.25, etc.), naturally.
@A strolling player: No shit? Apparently, the last numbers I saw were outdated.
Thanks for finding newer information!
Sweet ride. Cant wait for a future where cars like this will be the norm.
This is pretty cool, although the looks are still odd to me.
Everything I've read about Hydrogen is the amount of energy to prep it. If it could be done with wind/solar/hyrdroelectric, etc, than this would be a real possibity. I still don't understand why we aren't building more dams for power.
I'm curious what exactly Honda is losing on each of these, as $600 a month can't touch the actual cost, unless depreciation is assumed around, say, 5%.
@akirachan: I personally believe electric vehicles would be the key to the answer.
I don't know if you mean that fuel-cell cars aren't electric (and thus not part of the answer) but if that is your impression than you are misinformed. FCVs are electric cars, they just store the energy as hydrogen instead of in a battery.
Remember people, this thing doesn't burn hydrogen in the engine, it converts it to electricity just like the fuel cells on the space shuttle (the water is used to help astronauts bathe). I don't know how this stores its hydrogen, but most FCVs are using hydrides (materials that absorb hydrogen) to store it instead of having it as a pressurized gas.
Hear hear. Huzzahs all around to the Nipponese.
As a complete aside, I'm in L.A. this week, and I rented a 100% bio-diesel Jetta TDI Hybrid. It's full of low-end torque, moves fast on the freeway, climbs hills like nobody's business, is an absolute blast to drive, and gives no money to despotic oil shieks or corrupt Texas Republicans. It's tits.
@Spence: And where do you think the diesel comes from?
Corn. Sweet, sweet corn. 100% bio-diesel, B-100, sweet golden nectar of the American farm. And some soy probably. Which was harvested in a dino-powered combine no doubt, but we do what we can.