Life With a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Honda [View all]
Jon Spallino, 48, a retired investor from Redondo Beach, Calif., on his hydrogen-powered Honda, as told to A.J. Baime:
When Honda put out a hydrogen fuel-cell car, I was the very first retail customer, in 2005. Since then I've signed on for a newer Honda FCX Clarity, which is only available in Southern California. The fuel is hydrogen in compressed gas form, which interacts with oxygen to develop electricity. The only emissions are water.
My range is about 230 miles a tank, and there are two fueling stations near me that have hydrogen pumps, which look like regular pumps, only the nozzle attaches more securely. There is no protocol yet on how to charge for the fuel, so Honda has embedded the cost in the lease price [at $600 a month plus tax]. There's no charge at the pump.
The car has an electric feel. It has good acceleration and provides comfortable highway cruising speeds. There's very little noise. The downside? Although hydrogen is the most prevalent element in the universe, getting it into this form is time-consuming. Like any nascent technology, the cost to produce the cars and the fuel is very high. And the infrastructure isn't there. I can't drive this car, say, to San Francisco. There are no pumps.
Will governments and fuel companies create hydrogen highways? I have no idea. But I enjoy everything about the car, especially lack of pollution.
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