IT WILL soon be giving the Toyota Prius a run for its money among the greenest of eco-drivers on the highways of southern California.
The first three of Honda's hydrogen fuel-cell cars – whose exhausts produce only water – have rolled off the production line in Japan. Some 70 trial versions of the FCX Clarity will follow this year – the world's largest production run of such a veh
icle.
Several will be shipped to California to be tested by customers, including the actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her film-maker husband, Christopher Guest. The Clarity has a 280-mile range, but there are so far only five hydrogen refuelling stations in southern California.
Some 200 of the cars will be made over the next three years for use in the United States and Japan. Drivers will lease them for about £290 a month, including insurance and maintenance.
Honda hopes the trials will lead to mass production in future but has not said how much the Clarity would cost or when it would be available in the UK.
Environmental groups welcomed the new model but said hydrogen was only as clean as the energy used to produce it.
The car's engine comprises a "stack" of several hundred fuel cells, which creates an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to convert chemical energy into electrical energy that powers the car. It generates both electricity and water, but no carbon dioxide or other pollutants.
It is twice as energy efficient as petrol-electric hybrids, such as the Prius, the current darling of green-minded celebrities.
Unlike many hybrids, the Clarity, which has taken 19 years to develop, was designed from scratch as a dedicated fuel-cell vehicle. The launch gives Honda a chance to take the lead in green motoring after its Accord hybrid was trounced by the Prius and discontinued due to poor sales.
Toyota announced last month it had sold more than a million Prius models. The firm admitted yesterday it was struggling to meet demand because batteries and other key parts were not being made quickly enough.
John Kingston, the environment manager for Honda (UK), said: "The arrival of the first hydrogen fuel-cell car is particularly significant during this time of rapidly increasing oil prices. Honda is proud to offer an alternative energy solution that could reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and the effect of motoring on climate change."
The Environmental Transport Association said such vehicles would cut harmful vehicle pollution, and costs were coming down. Yannick Read, its spokesman, said: "The success of new technology can be hampered by high cost, but the viability of such vehicles is set to improve as fossil fuels become increasingly expensive."
The Institute of Advanced Motorists' Motoring Trust said: "The finite nature of the world's oil reserves mean that alternatives must be found sooner rather than later."
FACT BOX FUEL-CELL vehicles, like tilting and magnetic levitation (maglev) trains, are based on technology pioneered in Britain.
Sir William Robert Grove came up with a prototype fuel cell in 1839 during experiments with electrolysis.
Nearly two centuries later, many carmakers are developing the technology as a potential replacement for petrol and diesel-powered vehicles.
Even buses in London and children's remote-control toy cars have been powered by fuel-cell technology.
Among the latest is the Morgan LifeCar, which was unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show in March.
The Worcestershire-based company said it would have a top speed of 80-85mph, a 0-62mph time of under seven seconds and a 250-mile range.
White vans could also turn green, with Peugeot Citroën developing a zero-emissions delivery vehicle based on the Peugeot Partner van, with a 190-mile range.
The full article contains 631 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
