[Timgt5]

I am pleased to announce that Honda Motor company has officially begun production on the FCX Clarity. The most significant automobile in the early part of the 21st Century.

Some questions and answers:

What is FCX Clarity?

The FCX Clarity is a four door sedan, which operates on electricity supplied by Hydrogen Fuel Cells. The car emits ZERO polution and is virtually silent in operation. It is the first purpose built Hydrogen car to be leased to individual consumers.

How Big?

The size of a typical family car ( Accord, Camry, Maibu, Altima) The interior space will seat four in comfort with roughly the same leg room as the aformentioned cars

How Efficient?

Hydrogen is measured in Kilos as opposed to gallons, but roughly translated the Clarity gets the equivelent to 65-79 mpg.

How fast?

Electric motors have instant torque when you hit the pedal. The acceleration is on par with the typical midsize 4 cylinder, the top speed is around 100.

How equipped?

Typical stuff found on the average high-end family car, automatic climate control, power windows, locks, cruise, power seats, uplevel radio, multiple airbags, abs, esc and traction contol etc..

How Much?

Honda is leasing the car to select customers for $600.00 a month, which includes maintenance and insurance. The car itself cost roughly one million dollars to build per copy, due to the exotic drive train and other technology. Honda has predicted it can make this affordable for the average middle class family in 10 years, perhaps less.

Who got them?

Honda held what amounted to a lottery to get the first two hundred. To qualify you had to live in California within a certain distance of the few operating hydrogen stations and be married. 50,000.00 people signed up. Among the more notible people who actually got picked, actress, Jamie Lee Curtis and her Husband are getting one each.

The FCX is still the Hydrogen Car in its infant stages, but the reviews have been very positive so far. Noting that other than the erie silence, the car felt very normal and seemed to ride and handle much like Honda's own Accord.

I look forward to the day in the future when I can tell kids about how we used to have run cars off a noxious liquid, that fowled up the air, and how inefficient they were to drive and operate.

There is hope for us yet.

You all are welcome to PM with any questions regarding this or any other AFV type car. I will be glad to answer your questions, or you can go to Honda's Website to learn more

[nowheretorun]

love the name .. good to see progress with zero emissions on the vehicle.. what about at the plant?

i dont expect an answer Tim, i just feel that if the industrial ants are as harmful as claimed, we should minimize that in all sectors of production..... just my two... like, stop manufacturing 'rubber ducks' for example... do we need them?

anyway, about the car.. thanks for posting!

[Timgt5]

Great question, Honda has a stellar record of operating clean facilities ( I know because my cousin works at one of their lawn mower factories in NC) They have stringent emissions standards and extensive recycling and disposal protocols. The clarity is manufactured in special plant in Japan, and is hand assembled.

Another interesting fact, the car's seats are made of bio-fabric with little to no chemical perservatives. The car itself is nearly 100 percent recyclable.

[bebop]

but finding a place to get the fuel is unreal! very hard to find in most cities

[gimmeice]

Thank you for sharing that info I find it all very interesting.

[Timgt5]

Indeed currently Hydrogen stations are only in parts of California and Washington DC, Governor Arnold Schwazzaneggar recently signed a bill that authorized funding to develop more Hydrogen stations throughout the state.

On another note, Honda has also developed a home refueling station, its roughly the size of a an average fridge and hooks directly to an existing natural gas line. The processor "cracks" the gas and extracts the hydrogen to be used as fuel, it is still undergoing testing and should be ready for public use in 2-3 years.

It all has to start somewhere and someone has to lead, I am glad it is Honda.

[splitimage]

That's really interesting. Thanks for posting.

<font color="purple">But isn't hydrogen very volatile gas? It'd be like driving a bomb around.


...nevertheless I want one </font>

[Timgt5]

The Hydrogen is held within the car at very low temperatures. The hydrogen is not actually burned in anyway to make the electricity, rather passed through plates of a very special material that seperates the electrons, generating an electric charge in the process which in turn supplies power to the battery

The fuel tank is heavily reinforced and the car itself has been through extensive safety testing specifically for that issue. The Clarity is expected to score a five star crash test rating on front, side, and rear impacts.

In the end it is actually less likely to explode from a collision than a standard gasoline powered car.

Good question to ask, thank you.

[nowheretorun]

thanks for staying up with this thread Tim, its an important one for us all to consider imo...

what about the 'bells and whistles'? what are they? are they necessary? i only ask because every item, from the weather seal around the windows, to the smallest screw has to be manufactured and in that process, a huge amount of toxins are factors to consider... do we need the 'extras"?

[Timgt5]

In many ways the FCX Clarity actually uses less parts that a conventional ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) car. There are no belts, and no need for toxic radiator fluid, the car is drive and brake by wire meaning no throttle cables.

The bells and whistles correspond to the average higher end 4 cylinder car, such as an Accord Ex or Camry XLE. Which means, power windows, locks, cruise, auto climate control, power seats, keyless entry, highend mp3 and 4 compatible stereo system. For weight saving and aerodynamics there is no sunroof offered.

Some of this is concession to public tastes and marketing. Honda and other makers are also looking to replace the plastics currently in the dash and switchgear with materials from nature, that are much less relient on petrolium to manufacture and shape.

Then down the road Nanotechnology will be perfected and all of manufacturing will radically change for the better, but that is a whole topic for whole seperate thread I will post one day.

Good point to bring up! Kudos, for solid thinking NTR

TJ