First Drive in Honda's Fuel Cell Vehicle - FCX Clarity

The first thing that you notice is that it is really just a car, albeit a stunning one at that. There are no garish promotional graphics, no crude pre-production wiring or exposed screws and no compromises on the surface of it. Quite the contrary. On the outside, the design is modern, taught and dynamic. The quality and finish are outstanding and the proportions seem just right.

But first I had to sit through a technical briefing of the car. Ryan (from Alberta but living in Torrance, CA) took us through a powerpoint presentation eschewing all the benefits of a Hydrogen-fuelled society. In places like BC where renewable energy is plentiful, the production and use of Hydrogen can be virtually carbon neutral. But even where electricity is sourced from a grid powered predominantly by a fossil fuel (like coal powered Denver apparently), the production and use of Hydrogen is still more carbon and emission-friendly and more energy efficient than conventional gasoline powered vehicles. Hydrogen is exceedingly easy to make and production facilities are plentiful.

But let's cut all the technical jargon and take this car for a drive. Does the future really hold the promise of an exciting and dynamic driving experience?

When you get in the car, it is thoroughly modern and finished in expensive looking and feeling materials and textures. The two-tone interior cabin is accentuated by aluminum-look finishes and wood. The seats are fabric, but they have a luxurious and grippy feel.

A conventional key fits in the ignition and a quick press of a start button is followed by a quiet whine.

A quick tug on the shift lever puts the car in drive. The vehicle has a single gear plus reverse.

The gauge cluster is dominated by a graphical, three dimensional display that came straight from the Enterprise. The left is green denoting power directly extracted from the Fuel Stack and the right is blue meaning power originating from the Lithium Ion battery, the first full production vehicle to featuer such a battery.

The car drives like a Honda, in other words quick, dynamic and responsive. Just point and squirt. The suspension is nicely dampened and body roll is minimal - a result of the lower center of gravity that can be achieved with Fuel Cell architecture. The top speed is 160km/h and range is estimated at 390 kms.

The Fuel Cell Stack is below the front armrest. Honda has made great strides on its fuel cell stack. Size wise, it is one-fifth the size it was just seven years ago. It has also become much easier to fabricate, relying less on machined metals and more on conventionally stamped sheeting. The batteries are under the rear seat and the aluminum and carbon fibre Hydrogen tank is behind the rear seats. No more combustion engine up front, just a compact but very powerful electric motor.

Two hundred lucky Californians will be taking delivery of their FCX in the coming weeks for a monthly lease payment of approximately $600. One drawback, despite a range of 390kms on a single fill, is that presently there is only one commercial station offering Hydrogen. It's a Shell station in Santa Monica. An FCX Clarity takes about 3-5 minutes to refuel.

Where do I sign up?

A Visit to Bellevue Lexus

Whenever I visit other cities, I make a point of checking out dealerships there. On a recent trip to Seattle I chose Bellevue Lexus. Driving up to the large site, it is difficult to differentiate it from other dealerships. Large stucco facade, the requisite Lexus logos and a ship's load of cars parked out front.

But as soon as you enter the dealership, a different feel is immediately apparent. Gone are the garish promotion posters, cheap faux-leather furniture and utilitarian porcelain tiles. Instead, comfortable, elegant lounges, natural stone floors and friendly smiles at the concierge-style front desk greet you.



Further into the dealership there are a number of different areas. One lounge features a large fireplace (here the fake gas fired logs will have to do), another has viewing chairs for a few minutes of CNN, while a third offers a large acquarium. There's also a pretty nice kid's play area.

One really neat feature, perhaps Apple inspired, is the 'genius' bar. A staffer that is entirely focused on addressing the technical and product questions of Lexus owners. Queries come via email and telephone from soccer moms and NAV-frustrated dads all day long.

For service, the immense driveway is probably the largest in the country. I lost count after fifty parking spots. The Seattle weather won't harry these Lexus customers!

The shop is equally impressive with stainless steel benches and near silent overhead doors throughout. A small convex mirror at each station allows technicians to work at the benches while still keeping an eye out on the shop.

But a dealership visit is not complete without a quick tour of the 'facilities'. Nicely equipped washrooms with natural stone and piped in 'Enya' worked for me.

Well done Bellevue Lexus!

Mr. OpenRoad