Honda has just announced details of the leasing program for the new FCX Clarity fuel cell car that was unveiled at the LA Auto Show last November. The Clarity will be the first series "production" fuel cell vehicle available for lease to retail customers and the first examples will be delivered in July of this year. American Honda expects to lease about 200 Claritys during the first three years of the program. Right now, Honda is filtering through the 50,000 people that have shown interest in the lease program. The majority of those people who will be ruled ineligible because they don't live within range of a hydrogen filling station in the Los Angeles area.

The first batch of lessees will be announced on June 16 when the first Clarity rolls off the assembly line in Japan. The leases will be three year terms at $600/month which includes the insurance for the car. To qualify for a lease, potential customers will have to go through a multi step process that evaluates where they live and drive, and whether they have the financial means to pay for the car. When we talked to Honda's Stephen Ellis a few months ago, the retail price of hydrogen in the LA area was about $5/kg (equivalent to about 1 gallon of gas). The Clarity has a range of 270 miles and gets the equivalent of about 68mpg for gasoline. The full press release with all the details is after the jump.



All photos ©2007 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

This weekend at the Twin Ring Motegi track in Japan, the Honda FCX Clarity will be showing its pace by taking on the duties of a pace car. The Indy Racing League is making its annual trek to the homeland of engine supplier Honda for the Indy Japan 300 race at the facility near Tochigi. The fuel cell-powered Clarity will take the place of the usual fleet of Honda Accords as it leads the IndyCars to the green flag and keeps the racers in line while the yellow flag is out. This will be the first race paced by a hydrogen-fueled car; the field of 18 cars that crossed the Pacific are all running on E100 ethanol.

The FCX Clarity will be first series production fuel cell car when it becomes available for lease in Southern California this summer. Honda will be making about 100 Clarities a year available with more to come as hydrogen availability increases (if it does). The Clarity has a range of 270 miles from the 4kg of compressed hydrogen it carries. According to Honda spokesman Todd Mittleman, the company had received about 20,000 inquiries about leasing the Clarity since its debut at last November's LA Auto Show.

[Source: Honda]

AutoblogGreen's Sam Abuelsamid is one of the few people who has spent some time behind the wheels of both the Honda FCX and the Chevy Sequel concept vehicles. You can click on either of those names to read what he thought of the drives, and, if you're curious about how the two vehicles compare, you can also check out this post by Consumer Reports' Eric Evarts. In short, Evarts likes the more refined Honda over the futuristic Chevy.

It'll be a while before hydrogen cars are easily available to consumers (which is what I think Consumer Reports is interested in), and by then the kinks that are present in these concepts will hopefully have been worked out. Until then, reports like these will be everyone's link to what it's like to drive a hydrogen car.

Related:

• Honda FCX concept fuel cell car in depth
• Two Chevy Sequels go over 300 miles on real roads with hydrogen to spare

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Motor Trend has written a little piece on Honda's latest generation of the FCX, a vehicle powered by electricity which is generated by a hydrogen fuel cell. Honda is claiming that the vehicle would get the equivalent of 68 miles per gallon, if, of course, it were powered by X gallons of gas and not X pounds per square inch of hydrogen. If that sounds appealing to you, and you are not worried about the not-so-abundant source of places to fill up on hydrogen, time to start thinking about getting in line. Honda says that they are going to start offering the latest version of the FCX next year. How many, and at what price? Dunno, but Motor Trend speculates that they will offer them under lease, not making them available for purchase. I would tend to agree. Maybe they should lease home hydrogen filling stations too? Or should they skip the FCX completely? If you'd rather have a Honda Hybrid, stay tuned for more news on that front. Check out our exclusive coverage of the FCX below:

Related:

• Honda FCX concept fuel cell car in depth, Pt. 1 - The new fuel cell stack
• Honda FCX concept fuel cell car in depth, Pt. 2 - Styling and powertrain
• Honda FCX concept fuel cell car in depth, Pt. 3 - Construction and interior
• Honda FCX concept fuel cell car in depth, Pt. 4 - Driving at Laguna Seca

[Source: Motor Trend]

We have told you about Q'Orianka Kilcher's being the youngest person ever to lease a car powered by hydrogen, in this case the Honda FCX. Now, we can share with you a video of the presentation and short speech that she made when she received the car, courtesy of Ecorazzi, the site dedicated to the stars and their related greenery.

It is certainly a good message that this young girl is giving, and doing it while most of the population her age is thinking about getting their first car, the fact that a star is promoting this lifestyle choice couldn't be a bad thing. I think that this is true no matter what your view of hydrogen as a fuel source is, as Q'Orianka promotes all alternative fuels, again, as Ecorazzi points out.

Related:

• Teenage film star becomes youngest Honda FCX lessee

[Source: Ecorazzi]

click above image to view more pics of 17-year old Q'orianka Kilcher receiving the keys to her first car – a Honda FCX Hydrogen fuel cell vehicle

While the rest of the auto world steams it up in Geneva halls, Honda's green contingent basked under the San Fernando Valley sun for a world first. Q'orianka Kilcher, who played Pocahontas in Terence Malick's 2005 film The New World, was handed the keys to her brand new Honda FCX, making her the first person in the world to get a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle as her first car.

After an earnest speech in which the 17-year-old award-winning actress pledged to lead by environmentally friendly example-and asked the assembled adults to please do the same-John Mendel, senior vice president of American Honda, played the proud dad, handed Q'orianka the keys, and they took a 7-second spin together in the circular driveway of the Universal City Hilton.

Not the prettiest car in the world unless you like giant blue baby boots, Honda claims the FCX is "the world's most advanced production fuel cell vehicle" (third generation prototypes look much more tasty), which makes amends for slight styling deficiencies. Inside, the car seats four, has an in-dash CD player, climate control, a dashboard from Tron, and a Honda Satellite-Linked navigation system that displays the location for all existing hydrogen fueling station in the United States. The AC motor and Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell combine for 107 hp, 201 lb-ft of torque, and a 93-mph top speed over the car's 210-mile range.

Fifteen customers in three states also run FCXs, and, like them, Q'orianka doesn't own the car, she leases it. The privilege will subtract $500 per month from her film residuals for the next two years. She is the latest "retail" customer to test the FCX vehicle over the past five years. Most tests have been with fleets but a family from Southern California also drove a prototype for two years.

And it might have been the hours in the heat or too much of the catered lunch afterward, but as we were leaving we could swear we heard her brother asking to borrow the FCX for a date on Friday night.



[Source: reader submission by Jonathan Ramsey, we also have Honda's full press release after the break]

"Hydrogen: Here And Now!" This is theme of the upcoming Hydrogen Expo in San Antonio, Texas, to be held March 19-21. The question is, should it be "Hydrogen: Here And Now? And, if not now, when?" To get a sneak peek at the possible answers to these questions, perhaps you should attend the expo. At the very least, you will have a chance to sit behind the wheel and even drive one of the fuel cell vehicles that will be there, including the BMW Hydrogen 7.

In addition to the cars, there will be examples of hydrogen fueling for your home, your portable electronics and generators. Will any of these technologies become commonplace in the future? Nobody really knows for sure. Judging from comments on our site, there are doubters. However, there are some very smart people working on how to make the "hydrogen economy" a reality. Why not go to the expo and find out yourself?

[Source: Hydrogen Expo via Earthtoys]

This image is part of Honda's official announcement of their upcoming Small Hybrid Sports Concept. Maybe this is what started the rumor of the next-gen Insight last week? Well, rumor begone! Here's the real scoop:

The new Small Hybrid Sports Concept, which "represents Honda's proposal for a future hybrid model." Designed by Honda R&D Europe in Offenbach, Germany, the car will be unveiled in March. OK, maybe this'll just keep the rumors circulating.

Also coming to Geneva is Honda's new fully driveable FCX concept vehicle The new FCX shares the vertical style fuel cell stack with the current FCX concept, although the new version has been "newly developed." Honda says the new FCX has more power and better environmental performance than the old one,a range of 570 km and a top speed limited to 160 km/h. And it sounds like customers in Japan and the U.S. will be able to take a fuel cell vehicle based on this FCX home sometime in 2008.

Lastly, Honda will present a clean next-generation diesel engine in Geneva. Honda says the engine's new technology - a "revolutionary catalytic converter" that uses the reductive reaction of ammonia to convert oxides of nitrogen (NOx) into nitrogen (N2) - reduces emissions to petrol engine levels and meets EPA's Tier II/Bin 5 requirements. This engine will be available within three years.

All right, so maybe the rumors aren't totally squashed. But we do know more now than before. We have to wait a full month for Honda's Geneva press conference on March 6 where these cars will be shown for the first time. For now, you can read the full press release after the jump. And keep checking AutoblogGreen for more rumor killing and rumor enhancing news.

Related:

• Honda has new global ad featuring the FCX concept
• Second generation Honda Insight expected to be unveiled at Geneva Motor Show
• More details on Honda's upcoming Hybrid plans - A new Insight perhaps?
• AutoblogGreen drives the FCX concept vehicle

[Source: Honda]

This post has been edited because I goofed. The sketch is of the new hybrid.

Click on the image for a high-res gallery of the FCX

Over on the Honda global website they have a new ad that features the FCX concept fuel cell powered car. With the tagline Honda thinks, therefore FCX Concept is, the ad has video of the FCX interspersed with shots of a samurai running through a forest, and fish swimming in a stream. To see the ad you'll need to click through the video or photo intro and then mouse over the left side of the window for the menu.



[Source: EGMCarTech with a tip of the hat to Omar]

There are multiple issues waiting to be addressed if the hydrogen economy is ever to come about. So many, in fact, that many don't believe that it will EVER come about. Like I said in my editorial the other day, I am not writing anything off, and I think that it is safe to say that with all the research and development and money being spent on hydrogen, something will come of it. If that includes powering our cars by it, one such stumbling block is where to get the hydrogen from. How about your garage?

A company in Australia, CSIRO, has created a cabinet-sized hydrogen refueling station that is designed to fit in a corner of your garage. It would include solar panels to power the unit, and would not produce any emissions at all. The technology behind it, using electricity to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in water, is not new. As a matter of fact, Honda uses such a system in their hydrogen fuel stations in California. But I am not aware of any commercial units currently available for sale. I imagine an enterprising person could do it himself, but there are less and less enterprising types around these days. A question that is sure to be on the minds of many readers here is this: Why not use the solar panels on the roof to charge an electric car? Options people, options. The company suggests that wind-power is also being considered.

The unit is undergoing testing in Australia as we speak, and commercial tests are to start in two years. Will that coincide at all with the availability of more cars to use it with, or will the only choice be from BMW?

[Source: Green Wombat via Treehugger]

Sure, we had our own crew at the Detroit Auto Show, but the automakers like to give out their own promotional materials (I just got the Honda 2006 North American Environmental Report in the mail today, for example). If you need a few more glimpses of the NAIAS, why not check out these pictures and videos from Honda (unfortunately, not high-res). For your perusal, we have Honda's official galleries of:

• Honda FCX concept video
• Acura booth video
• Acura booth photos
• Honda booth video
• Honda booth photos

You can read some of AutoblogGreen's own coverage at the links below:

• More details on Honda's upcoming Hybrid plans - A new Insight perhaps?
• Honda reports they are studying plug-in hybrids
• Honda FCX concept fuel cell car in depth

[Source: Honda]

Honda makes some pretty fuel-efficient vehicles, and now the company's official website has been dramatically updated to reflect this. I mean, anywhere you look on the site (pretty much), the green theme jumps out at you. There are featured sections on hybrids, fuel cells, and engines/cars that run on natural gas, ethanol or diesel. There is also a large section devoted to the hydrogen fuel cell-powered FCX concept vehicle (AutoblogGreen has a detailed write-up of the FCX here). Lastly, Honda's movie site, Honda Dreamers TV has also been upgraded and now has higher quality videos at lower bandwidths.

Honda says these changes are a natural progression since "the environment is becoming more and more important." I happen to think the environment has been pretty important for a few million years now, but I get what they mean: The environment is becoming more and more important for our corporate image and in customer's minds.

Oh, this story refers to Honda's global website. The American Honda Motor Co. site doesn't go overboard on the green. Yet.

[Source: Honda]

Take a million dollar Honda FCX prototype, not the newest version but a recent FCX that Honda has been testing for the past few years. This car has years of high-tech research and plenty of hydrogen technology under the hood. You can drive it, sure, but what about turning it into a recording studio? That's what seemed like a good idea when I met with Honda North America vice president for government & industry relations Edward Cohen outside the EDTA Conference Hotel earlier today. We spend about 15 minutes sitting in the FCX and we talked about how the recent election will affect electric car technology, the 60,000 unit per manufacturer limit for the maximum tax credits on hybrids, how the cost of a gallon of gasoline affects customer behavior and society at large and more. You can listen to our talk here (MP3 format, about 4 MB). The little bit of outside sound you hear in the background is not a hole somewhere in the FCX's body, but the result of a window being open. Even high-tech cars get stuffy when they're all sealed up.

Almost right on the steps of the Capitol building in Washington D.C. this morning, a small collection of electric vehicles sat attracting attention. A Honda FCX, a GEM, a new ZENN, GM's HydroGen-3, Hyundai's Tuscon FCEV and a few others. Joggers stopped to ask what the ranges of the fuel cell vehicles were, government officials came by to go for rides, and attendees of the 2006 Electric Drive Transportation Association Conference & Exposition lined up to take the cars out for a spin. So did I. There's more pictures and a brief write-up after the jump.

(Editor's Note: don't miss Parts One and Two of this series)



The body structure of the Honda FCX concept is a combination of a steel lower body structure mated to a carbon-fiber composite upper structure. The production version will switch to an all steel structure to help keep costs down and simplify manufacturing. The steeply raked windshield inevitably means a really long dash board, and the risk of nasty reflections. On a sunny autumn day at Laguna Seca, reflections didn't pose a problem on the concept, hopefully this will be carried over to the production version.



(Continued after the jump)