Honda FCX Clarity Hydrogen Car Review (Time Capsule Test)

Honda FCX Clarity Hydrogen Car Review (Time Capsule Test)

Honda FCX Clarity Hydrogen Car Review

Driving the First Mass Produced Fuel Cell Vehicle for a Week Four Years Ago

by James Hamel

Honda-FCX_Clarity_2009_WallpaperWhy Did I Have the Privilege of Spending this Week with the Clarity?

It seems everyone now is suddenly talking about the viability of selling hydrogen powered cars to the populace en masse thanks to automakers like Toyota, Hyundai and General Motors putting their energies towards seeing this alternative fuel source explored as a possible alternative to gas engines and electric cars (which barring the Tesla have pretty much flopped with the buying public). Things were much different four and a half years ago when Honda gave me the thrill of a lifetime by loaning me a Clarity for an entire week.

Well, I did live very close to a refueling station but their reason for dropping it off at my house was perhaps the coolest and nicest thing that has happened to me in my entire career. As everyone at the time who ever met me, spoke to me or glanced at my Facebook page, it was quite obvious that I was a huge fan of the TV show “Glee.” Honda had sent this Clarity I was to drive to Washington D.C. for the annual White House Press Corps. Dinner and as it happens part of the cast of “Glee” drove and rode in it to and from the event (Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Reilly and Matthew Morrison for “Gleeks” out there).

Jamie Lee Curtis leased the first Clarity

Jamie Lee Curtis leased the first Clarity

When I was told as the Clarity was delivered that the last people in the car were in fact “Glee” cast members I made everyone who went for a ride in it take their shoes off and no way was my dog riding in it. Yes, I was that big of a dork about it and Honda knew that and decided to give me the thrill of a lifetime. What they didn’t know is that the greatest road test experience I ever had was that week in the FCX Clarity.

Trust me when I say Honda’s follow up model the FCEV will blow everyone else out of the water technologically, stylistically and with the way it drives. People who buy one will never want to go back to a non-hydrogen car. After reviewing the Clarity positively the last time I actually got death threats from advocates of electric cars. I am re-sharing this story now to show there is room to try more than one alternative fuel as the potential answer to our dependence on fossil fuels.

Honda_FCX ClarityWere we convinced by the FCX Clarity and the Possibility it was the Way Forward?

Truly environmentally responsible automobiles that not only can manage a long cruising range, emit no pollutants and are also somehow really fun to drive still seem a bit like a pipe dream. Yes, even with Tesla on the case. It truly is the proverbial final frontier from “Star Trek.” And while many called Honda crazy for building a bespoke hydrogen powered car on a unique platform with unique styling at a cost that was astronomical to say the least, it appears now with Toyota, General Motors, Hyundai and even our Government behind the creation of a national hydrogen infrastructure—it looks like Honda was just ahead of the game.

It’s easy to see how what with Honda’s lifelong mission? To boldly go where no other automaker has gone before in creating solutions to man’s life long problem-How to get from point A to point B in the least environmentally damaging manner all the while having a blast doing it. Now, while the first generation FCX Clarity hydrogen sedan we spent a week driving around Southern California (at the time the only place with refueling stations) is soon going to be replaced with a new hydrogen model based on the FCEV Concept that debuted at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show. Style wise, the new FCEV even looks like a car from 50 years in the future.

But let’s look back at our week with the FCX Clarity. (All told an estimated 26 FCX Clarity units were manufactured by Honda.)

Clarity_dash

Living with the Clarity and Dealing with Crowds in Parking Lots

The Honda FCX Clarity came in any color as long as it is a deep, lustrous burgundy called Star Garnet Metallic. Although the FCX Clarity got plenty of attention on the street and in parking lights due to the fact that it runs on hydrogen, it got just as many complements on the color. From a design perspective, this four door sedan was a true homerun. It was futuristic, dynamic and looked like it is going 80 miles per hour sitting still. The ultra-lightweight 16-inch five spoke aluminum alloy resin wheels really added a sporty final touch to the overall look. Many people who asked about the Clarity merely were admiring the design.

The hood, trunk, doors and fenders were all made out of aluminum to help keep the FCX Clarity’s weight down. The front and rear subframes were also made from extruded aluminum to help with this effort. The fuel cell stack ran down the center console and took up part of the still cavernous 13.1 cubic foot trunk. Locating the stack there helped keep the center of gravity low and made for a very safe storage location for the hydrogen. Honda has with the FCEV, of course, managed to shrink the fuel cell so it will be a true five-seater unlike the Clarity.

DSCN3438Do keep in mind, however, that hydrogen is no more combustible than gasoline and if the fuel cell was ever ruptured in an impact it would quickly dissipate into the atmosphere. Gasoline spills out in liquid form making it far more dangerous than hydrogen fuel in the event of an accident. We got a lot of questions about that in parking lots from people who knew what the Clarity was.

All FCX Clarity models came very well equipped with all the essential creature comforts a luxury car owner could want like dual zone climate control, navigation, AM/FM/CD audio system with 6-speakers and USB audio port, Bluetooth, Adaptive Cruise Control, power windows, power door locks, power mirrors, keyless entry, Home Link, steering wheel mounted controls, rear-view camera, voice activation, floormats and blue ambient lighting at night.

DSCN3432How did we Refuel it?

You simply drive your FCX Clarity up to a hydrogen refueling station (at the time only in Southern California) and open the gas flap like you would in a normal car. What looks a bit like the nozzle end for a barbeque propane tank is what you see under the gas flap. Then you take the hydrogen hose, attach the nozzle, secure it and press start. Refueling takes about five minutes. When we drove the Clarity there was no charge for the Hydrogen because no one had figured out what it was worth yet.

2009-honda-fcx-clarity-interior-photo-207377-s-1280x782Driving Impressions

The hydrogen fuel cell powers advanced lithium ion batteries which put the accelerative force down to the ground via an electric motor that made a very other-worldly hum when you floored the throttle. The sound was so cool we rarely turned on the stereo.

The FCX Clarity didn’t so much accelerate as rocket towards the horizon when you depressed the throttle pedal. As you sped away you may easily be tricked into believing the car might actually start to fly any moment. Really punch it and you could almost hear Star Trek’s Scotty screaming from the control room, “I’m giving ye all she got Captain!”

The feeling, the responsiveness and the sound was all very cool and truly intoxicating. It was, in essence, a truly 21st Century sports sedan. Steering was responsive, the FCX Clarity loved to take corners and body roll was kept to an acceptable minimum. The ride was magic carpet smooth on the notoriously uneven and rough Southern California freeway system.

Under_the_Hood_Of_a _hydrogen_CarCan You Buy Your Own FCX Clarity Now?

Sadly, no. Honda only offered three year leases on these vehicles and at the end of that term the owner could not purchase the vehicle outright. Honda built the Clarity all alone to see if the concept would work so they no doubt tore them down after being returned from lease and from what they learned came the FCEV. Now both Toyota and General Motors are working on their own bespoke hydrogen models so there is hope a hydrogen infrastructure can be built in the United States. One GM executive told us that to build enough hydrogen stations to reach 75% of citizens it would cost $8 billion.

Sounds reasonable to us.

Our last experience with a Clarity was driving one on Honda's Twin Ring Motegi Race Track in Japan.

We also drove a Clarity on Honda’s Twin Ring Motegi Race Track in Japan.

 

 

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