The Auto Writer

Yours truly standing by the Honda FCX Clarity, the rarest of all Hondas.

When deciding to make the trip to Los Angeles, I knew that there was one event I just had to take advantage of while there: EcoDriving, the chance to drive at least one of the many “green” vehicles on display.

As it turns out, I got to drive two cars — the Honda FCX Clarity and the Smart ForTwo. The FCX Clarity, for those who never heard of the car is a limited production fuel cell vehicle. Currently, only three cars can be found in the US and all three are located in the L.A. area where three fueling stations exist. One of the cars is being leased to actress Jamie Lee Curtis who pays Honda $600 per month which covers leasing and insurance. Within the next year or two another two hundred cars will be built and leased to select customers in California and Japan.

I won’t get into all of the workings behind the FCX Clarity other than to say that it is hydrogen powered, hence its limited availability. The US does not yet have a hydrogen infrastructure in place which limits the car’s range to 280 miles before it must refilled. The FCX Clarity produces 134 horsepower but 189 lb.-ft. of torque. EPA fuel economy is estimated to be an amazing 79 mpg city/68 mpg highway; what’s more, this is a zero emissions vehicle and quiet like you wouldn’t believe.

The ride is smooth, the seats are very comfortable, and the car handles quite well. Overall, the cabin is very luxurious.

We took it out on the streets of L.A., making about a three mile loop around the convention center. At first I was a little uptight, knowing that Honda paid a significant chunk of money to produce the car. Honda refuses to say what the car cost, but I have heard figures of upwards of one million dollars per vehicle tossed around. My Honda representative said that the car is built on its own platform after I remarked that it looks like a stretch Accord.

I’ll be following up with some additional details about the Honda FCX Clarity, a truly remarkable and beautiful car. I like the style so much that it could make a nice gas-electric hybrid model too. But, it looks as if Honda will concentrate on the hydrogen end of things for now.

(Source: American Honda Motor Company, Inc.)