Honda Clarity - green miracle or overpriced dream?

It's a typical Californian reaction to technology like the FCX, says Pat Devereux in The Telegraph (UK) – "not dissimilar to that of a magpie; anything shiny, new, rare and expensive, they've just gotta have it."

So many people visited the car's website to sign up for one of the 100-odd cars that will be available next year – only for lease, and only in California – it crashed under the load.

"That, I think, tells us all we need to know about its future popularity,” says Devereux – himself a convert to Honda's latest green offering, having test driven the first production version of the Clarity.
But the automaker can't afford to have them become a hit just yet, says James Healey in USA Today – "it's losing a relative fortune on each one.”

"Clarity is a ground-up design that could be mass-produced should the cost collapse and the number of hydrogen stations balloon," says Healey. "But even in lead-the-way California, only three stations are open to the public."

Here are a few more reality checks about hydrogen fuel cell cars:

– You probably can't find hydrogen fuel unless you live in California, Washington, DC, or New York

– The fuel cell itself is very expensive, and wouldn't necessarily drop in cost with increased volume

– Fuel-cell cars don't pollute, but hydrogen fuel production does

– 95 per cent of hydrogen is made from natural gas, and "we don't have much,” says Healey. The USA has an estimated 3.3 per cent of the world's supply. Russia, Iran and Qatar have the bulk

– As with other fuels, making hydrogen takes more energy than it gives. GM calculates that it takes: 1.73 British thermal units (Btu) of energy to produce 1 Btu of hydrogen energy using natural gas; 1.25 Btu to produce 1 Btu of gasoline energy, which powers a vehicle only one-third to one-half as far as hydrogen will

Honda FCX Clarity: Sound of silence, Pat Devereux, The Telegraph (UK)

FCX Clarity: Bring on the hydrogen stations, James R Healey, USA Today