Today, I was watching old re-runs of the BBC television show, Top Gear, when they stumbled upon the most important vehicle of the past 100 years: a hydrogen powered electric car.
They call this car the Honda FCX-Clarity.
To be as concise as possible, I have stolen "how it works" from the FCX-Clarity website:
"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 FCEV leaves behind."
This means that you no longer have to plug your car into the wall and wait 16 hours just so you can go 200 miles, your car generates energy via hydrogen as you drive. The only thing you have to do is fill up with hydrogen rather than gas as we are accustomed.
You use this car just as you would use any other. When your tank is empty (after about 270 miles), go to your local Shell Station and fill up with compressed Hydrogen--which is eco-conscious because it just happens to be the world's most abundant resource. It takes about as long as filling up a tank of gas and also costs about the same. Unfortunately, at this time, this vehicle is only available in California as they are testing the system out before a widespread global release.
Jay Leno thinks that the FCX and others of its kind will be the saving grace for petroleum fueled cars. He suggests that people should use the FCX on a day to day basis and only use our "fun" cars as necessary. Which is a nice sentiment, but not everyone in the world has the money for a brand new Hydrogen powered electric Honda and a Lamborghini for the weekends. Many people in the world are happy just to have a car, rather than think about spending the $600 per month lease for a hydrogen powered car.
Obviously there are issues that need to be solved, as with any other innovation, but I would say that Honda has a head start in an industry that will potentially change the automotive market as we know it. There will be a transition period to go from gas to hydrogen, but in my opinion a necessary transition because of oil's finite life. When the price goes down, I will definitely consider trading in my Accord for and FCX-Clarity.
Signing Off,
Nick Richards
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