Fuel cell smackdown: Round 2 – Honda FCX Clarity

I’d hardly say that the Honda FCX has the profile of a Lamborghini.

I am not sure I agree with the assertion Honda is ahead of GM. GM still invests heavily in fuel cells and has a fleet of test vehicles in the hands of common drivers. GM was criticized for not imitating Toyota on the hybrid bandwagon and now that they have done so and upped the ante with te Volt they still do not get any praises for having one of the most advanced fuel cell technologies in the market right now.

Hydrogen power isn’t the “Holy Grail” for automobiles. It’s mostly a shell-game that enables energy companies to sound green, when the simple fact is that we still rely on a finite supply of hydrocarbon-based fuel.

Commercial hydrogen production mainly uses methane (aka natural gas), and the hydrogen this is produced is then used mainly for making ammonia.

So, if you want to be even more “green” than hydrogen power, convert your hybrid vehicle to run on compressed natural gas, and divert the solar-produced electricity to the electric grid instead.

The Honda Clarity makes me wish the US had made a commitment 5 years ago, to power vehicles by hydrogen fuel cells. Sounds like a fine car that should do well even with CNG cars getting good traction. Will be interesting to see if the Clarity causes GM to rethink Volt’s gas engine.

More carrot dangling from the people that Killed the Electric Trolley as well as the Electric Car that’s not meant to shock the status quo.

As nice an advancement as it is, it’s no excuse for the targeted destruction of other closer-to-market future-tech.

If Obama is elected the next President I believe he will promote favorable tax credits for corporations that help move us toward energy independence. This could include the building of a hydrogen fueling infrastucture. That would significantly shorten the window to achieving our goal. Couple that with favorable tax credits to companies like Honda that accelerate the build will also help. We have got to implement the vision and not just talk about it.

Well the car has a 270 mile range and the SUV has a 170 mile range. Most Americans would prefer to drive a SUV if they could be friendly to the environment. So in that regards, GM is ahead of Honda. Any hoo, together they have spent $350,000,000 to make 200 cars, so I doubt we will ever see this technology.

It is a shame the credit market is so anemic right now. We can only hope Honda’s capital position is at least good enough to keep projects like this moving forward (or that they have already acquired the financing for them). Here’s to the Clariy being to the Prius’ what Netflix has become to Blockbuster: Real motivation to improve.

I think the auto manufacturers should start a registry for every type of vehicle sold in a particular area or zip code. That way a service station could see how many vehicles are garaged in a aprticular area, based on fuel use type. They then could realize, with a government tax break/incentive, if it is worthwhile to add an electrical or hydrogen fueling spparatus to their existing gas pumps.

We better wake-up in this country and start learning to love the planet.

I would be interested to see the over-all energy consumption calculation for the Clarity when using the home fueling system. Reforming hydrogen from natural gas typically is done at high temperatures. I have read that it can be done energy positive (the energy derived from the hydrogen is more than the energy used to reform it), unlike electrolysis.

However, what is the net impact to my wallet If I pay $7 for 100 cubic feet of natural gas, can I go 2.5 times as far as my $2.50 gallon of gasoline?