it’s called the FCX Clarity and from the first looks it doesn’t look sporty, It isn’t insanely pretty, and it doesn’t levitate or drive by itself. It looks like an Accord. The speciality about this Honda is the fact that it is an electric car. But it’s not like any other electric car. The front wheels are driven by an electric motor, but whats special about this is the fact that it doesn’t have any batteries. Instead its fitted with its own electricity generator, and that takes the form of a “Hydrogen Fuel Cell”
At the back of the car is a fuel tank, just as you would expect with any car. But instead of filling it up with petrol or diesel, you fill it up with compressed hydrogen. Now this hydrogen is combined with oxygen in the air, inside the fuel cell, and in a very complicated and boring way that makes electricity. That electricity is then used to power the electric motor at the front of the car which turns the front wheel of the car, like in any other front wheel driven car. And this whole process is controlled by a box of electronics inside the car.
At the back of the car is a fuel tank, just as you would expect with any car. But instead of filling it up with petrol or diesel, you fill it up with compressed hydrogen. Now this hydrogen is combined with oxygen in the air, inside the fuel cell, and in a very complicated and boring way that makes electricity. That electricity is then used to power the electric motor at the front of the car which turns the front wheel of the car, like in any other front wheel driven car. And this whole process is controlled by a box of electronics inside the car.
Now, when you run out of fuel, all you have to do is pop down to a hydrogen filling station, fill it up, it only takes a couple of minutes to fill up, and be on your way. Because the hydrogen is in a liquid form you have to lock it in place after you place the filler hose to the fuel tank, or you will get hydrogen all over your shoes. So this 3 minute job gives the car a range of 270 miles.
In America, hydrogen costs roughly the same as petrol. But unlike petrol, it will never run out because it’s the most abundant element in the world. And then there is the Eco factor, the only thing that comes out of this car, the only emission is water.
Now coming to performance! It wont rip your face off with acceleration, but it isn’t a slow car either. It has 136 bhp and it will get you from 0 – 60 mph in nine seconds. And that isn’t bad for a four door family saloon car. This makes this an electric car with a top speed of a 100 mph.
You do have a lot of hydrogen fueled cars that are coming out these days. Almost all of the manufacturers are making an effort to make the Greenpeace people happy. And I think that’s a good thing. Not because it will save the environment and do all of that, yes it is an added bonus, but have you ever considered that this car will save all the fuel for the petrolheads.
I truly believe that the Clarity is the most important car to come out in 100 years. I do honestly believe this. One day we will (sadly) run out of oil, and then we will need something else. Electric cars have always had that futuristic appeal to us, but they were never practical. We built our entire lives around cars and transportation. You get in, you drive as far as you can, then you fill up and drive some more. If we were driving around in something with batteries that go for ten miles and takes ages to bring back to life, we would have gone backwards. This however is different. It fits the life we already have and that is why I think it’s the car of the future, because it’s just like the car of today.
Honda FCX Clarity is the world's first commercially available fuel-cell vehicle that has reached Europe – although you can't buy one yet.
In America, hydrogen costs roughly the same as petrol. But unlike petrol, it will never run out because it’s the most abundant element in the world. And then there is the Eco factor, the only thing that comes out of this car, the only emission is water.
Now coming to performance! It wont rip your face off with acceleration, but it isn’t a slow car either. It has 136 bhp and it will get you from 0 – 60 mph in nine seconds. And that isn’t bad for a four door family saloon car. This makes this an electric car with a top speed of a 100 mph.
You do have a lot of hydrogen fueled cars that are coming out these days. Almost all of the manufacturers are making an effort to make the Greenpeace people happy. And I think that’s a good thing. Not because it will save the environment and do all of that, yes it is an added bonus, but have you ever considered that this car will save all the fuel for the petrolheads.
I truly believe that the Clarity is the most important car to come out in 100 years. I do honestly believe this. One day we will (sadly) run out of oil, and then we will need something else. Electric cars have always had that futuristic appeal to us, but they were never practical. We built our entire lives around cars and transportation. You get in, you drive as far as you can, then you fill up and drive some more. If we were driving around in something with batteries that go for ten miles and takes ages to bring back to life, we would have gone backwards. This however is different. It fits the life we already have and that is why I think it’s the car of the future, because it’s just like the car of today.
Honda FCX Clarity is the world's first commercially available fuel-cell vehicle that has reached Europe – although you can't buy one yet.
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