Will This Car Save the World?

[Monseratto]

Honda makes first hydrogen cars

Japanese car manufacturer Honda has begun the first commercial production of a zero-emission, hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicle.

The four-seater, called FCX Clarity, runs on hydrogen and electricity, emitting only water vapour.

Honda claims the vehicle offers three times better fuel efficiency than a traditional, petrol-powered car.

Honda plans to produce 200 of the cars, which are initially available only to lease, over the next three years.

One of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel-cell vehicles is the lack of hydrogen fuelling stations.

The first five customers are all based in southern California because of the proximity of hydrogen fuelling stations, Honda said.

US actress Jamie Lee Curtis will be among the first to take delivery of the vehicle, the firm added.

'Monumental step'

The car will initially be available for lease in California starting in July, and then in Japan later this year.

It is being built on the world's first dedicated production line for fuel-cell vehicles in Japan.

"This is an important day in the history of fuel-cell vehicle technology and a monumental step closer to the day when fuel-cell cars will be part of the mainstream," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda.

Honda says it expects to lease a few dozen units in the US and Japan in 2008, and about 200 units within three years.

It said the cost of the car, on a three-year lease, would be $600 (£300) a month.

The FCX Clarity is based on Honda's previous-generation hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, the FCX concept car. Honda delivered around 34 of these cars, mainly in the US, of which 10 remain in use.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7456141.stm

[ghosthunter]

Will This Car Save the World?

Nope. Hydrogen fuel cells still needs a power source to produce it's fuel. It's a step in the right direction but the solution is expensive in terms of money and exotic materials. It would be decades before this thing would even be close to be a viable option to the mass driving public.

[city_hunter]

Ganda naman. Magkano kaya yan? Saka magkakaroon kaya niyan rito?

[tidus1203]

Its expensive but its better for the environment than our current fossil fuels... And fossil fuels will run out someday so this is definitely a step on the right direction... Time is the enemy here, we can conserve fossil fuels to buy us some time but eventually it will still run out...

[meledson]

For now, probably not.

Unless ordinary/common na ang zero emissions vehicles, currently, for now almost zero effect.

[coiter]

Its expensive but its better for the environment than our current fossil fuels... And fossil fuels will run out someday so this is definitely a step on the right direction... Time is the enemy here, we can conserve fossil fuels to buy us some time but eventually it will still run out...

true. but as gosthunter pointed out, how do they actually produce the hydrogen fuel? baka naman yung energy requirements to create it would offset the benefits from its use just like the current debate about bio-fuels. parang give and take.

[tidus1203]

Well as with science when there is will there is way. We have to remember that Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe and its usually paired with something else. Even water has hydrogen 2 parts, so its abundant so in essence supply wise no problem. The problem is the amount of energy to separate hydrogen from the other elements it is linked on. And thats where the will hopefully makes a way.

Bio-fuels on the other hand IMO is a bad idea. As it is food supply is tight then instead of feeding people we feed our cars.

[BlueJazz]

Its expensive but its better for the environment than our current fossil fuels... And fossil fuels will run out someday so this is definitely a step on the right direction... Time is the enemy here, we can conserve fossil fuels to buy us some time but eventually it will still run out...

Well, fossil fuels will not really run out, but there will become a time that it would become very expensive to explore and produce since most of the fuel left are in the arctic regions.

Another enemy here are the governments which will never support alternative fuels due to the large amount of taxes gas companies generate for them.

[v6dreamer]

County of Los Angeles leasing 2 cars from Honda of the previous model and said they like it cause of the zero emission, but its very expensive and you cannot own it.

[ghosthunter]

Well as with science when there is will there is way. We have to remember that Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe and its usually paired with something else. Even water has hydrogen 2 parts, so its abundant so in essence supply wise no problem. The problem is the amount of energy to separate hydrogen from the other elements it is linked on. And thats where the will hopefully makes a way.

How often do people have to grind it in that that problem is NOT hydrogen but the energy required to produce it (from water)?

People like you think the solution is so easy since the "answer" is just water but it is NOT that easy since the energy requirement is higher than simply using fossil fuels if you take the entire system into account.

Bio-fuels on the other hand IMO is a bad idea. As it is food supply is tight then instead of feeding people we feed our cars.

Bio-fuels is not limited to being sourced from food crops. There are other sources like algae and non-food portions of plants and even animal wastes which can be converted to bio-fuels in one form or another.

Its really amazing and a wonder that your brain is so open to "water = power" idea bs but your vision is so narrow regarding the potentials and varieties of bio-fuels.