Honda brings some “Clarity” to an otherwise dreary day
Thanks to Honda for coming by our offices for a Ride-and-Drive with their new fuel cell vehicle, the FCX Clarity. It was raining, but we had fun anyway. Check out the photos below.
08.28.2008
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August 28, 2008 @ 5:14 pm
I says...
Who is that incredibly attractive bald man?
September 3, 2008 @ 8:22 pm
Richard P. Horwitz says...
I love that car and Honda but I would like to know when the price of the Fuel Cell will ever be available to the average person. They are finally beyond the prototype stage and could be headed for mass production, providing the infrastructure grows with it. I’m sure cheaper hydrogen is immanent. Maybe a substitute for platinum could be found to reduce the cost of the individual FC’s. Until the cost comes down it will never be the vehicle seen in morning fraffic.
September 4, 2008 @ 1:30 pm
Kyle Stewart, Fuel Cell Store says...
So did you actually get to drive it? Any review on its performance?
September 4, 2008 @ 4:49 pm
Bud says...
Kyle,
I did get to drive it and I have to say that Honda did a very good job!
By and large, it drives and performs like any other internal combustion vehicle I’ve ever driven.
That said, there were a few things I noticed that were different. First,when turning the vehicle on and off you have to rely on visual clues, rather than audio signals, because the vehicle is so quiet.
Second, the gear configuration was slightly different, but in no way was it difficult to operate or figure out.
Finally, the only other thing that was noticeable was the feel of the breaks. Since I knew the vehicle had regenerative breaks, (and I’ve never driven a hybrid vehicle before) I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. That said, after driving it for a few minutes, I didn’t notice much of a difference. They performed well in the rain covered streets.
September 11, 2008 @ 1:22 pm
Pete says...
Fuel cells will become more affordable when demand increases. Ten years ago, the $450 computer I’m at right now would have cost perhaps $3,000 AND not have been as powerful. If fuel cell technological advances can mirror those of personal computers in the same time frame we could see the beginning of the end of the gasoline combustion engine.
September 15, 2008 @ 7:57 pm
Philip A. Block says...
Right on Pete. The only answer to the ICE caused smog and obvious failure of the obselete central power plant concept is the direct conversion Fuel Cell. That is why building more nuclear power plants is a joke. Direct distribution power is the 21st century technology. The argument for more nuclear power plants cannot be sustained technically and, especially, finacially. It took from 1885 (the first car) till 1908 (Ford’s massed produced car) until the average person could afford a car. Eventually, the Fuel Cell auto should be less expensive because it will take less labor and materials to build one. They will be easier to repair, as they can be built as modules, and most repairs will be based upon switching the modules, as done in so much equipment today. There is another great advantage to Fuel Cells. If the Fuel Cells powering a hospital goes kerbunk, they can be quickly switched out, and no mess to clean up. Try that with a central power plant with its spider web of transmission lines and substations!
October 10, 2008 @ 5:51 pm
Run Your Car on Water Scam says...
Run Your Car on Water Scam…
With rising gas prices, its no wonder everyone is looking for ways to save money and/or dish out even more money in order to save money in the long run (in order to find alternative energy sources)….
October 13, 2008 @ 9:00 pm
water powered cars says...
water powered cars…
I am glad I found this blog. Great information. Thanks for posting. :)…
October 14, 2008 @ 4:43 pm
Philip A. Block says...
Powering cars with water has been a scam for over a hundred years. Yes, in the older cars adding water mist to the carburator helped increase compression and improve mileage. Increasing compression, water is not compressable, also helped to crack cylinder heads, blow head gaskets, and who knows what other damage over a period of time. In modern cars, there are various sensors to control fuel and air mixtures, timing, and exhaust gases that are delicate and easily damaged. Cars today are precision instruments and tampering with the engine controls is inviting big buck repairs. If you want to experiment, use an old car and prove to yourself the truth. If any of the systems using water were valid, don’t you think (well, if you were thinking in the first place you would not be taken in by the scamers) engineers and the many knowledgeable auto mechanics would have been onto them a long time ago? Anything that looks cheap or, especially free, always attracts the ignorant, and the stupid. After WWII the general public was suckered in that nuclear power would be cheap. We are still paying for those plants that were built during the sixties and seventies and will be paying for them for the next hundred years. A very smart person a long time ago said ” there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” So, if you want better mileage, buy a smaller car, or wait until the Fuel Cell powered electric car comes onto the market.
February 25, 2009 @ 2:49 pm
Fuel Cell Insider » Clarity - Measuring Up says...
[...] few months ago, we were lucky enough to be able to drive the Clarity ourselves and according to our own Bud DeFlaviis, “I’ve driven a number of hybrid and [...]
March 3, 2009 @ 12:04 pm
AL Mc says...
Check out arsc pem fuel cell technology and their Ammonia hydrogen generators and tell me what you think . Their the future of pem fuel cells.American Security Resources, Inc with theirACE and AHC hydrogen for less than 30cents per lrefferencing Dr Botte at botte@ohio.edu patented technology