The race is on to replace gasoline as the fuel of choice for our vehicles. Electric cars seem to be the future, but Japanese car manufacturers are pushing hydrogen as another green alternative. Toyota was the first to market with its Mirai, but now Honda is joining them with a sedan that boasts a 750km (466 miles) range.
Honda has managed to create a sedan-type car, which they refer to as the Clarity Fuel Cell vehicle, that can seat up to 5 people by positioning the power train at the front of the car. The vehicle is capable of a 750km driving range thanks to a fuel tank with a capacity of 141 liters positioned in the rear of the car. As you can see from the cutaway image below, the one thing this car doesn't have is much room for baggage.
Hydrogen cars are still a work in progress and Honda realizes this. With that in mind, the Clarity Fuel Cell vehicles will initially only be leased, with 200 available for use during 2016. Honda will use this time period to test the cars thoroughly in real-world situations and get feedback from drivers. Then they can hopefully resolve any issues before a commercial release to the general public.
Honda has designed its hydrogen system to adapt for different vehicle types. So you can have a straight hydrogen car, or create a hybrid by using it in an electric vehicle or other hybrid setup. As for this model, it includes a lithium-ion battery and is thought to cost just over $67,000 if Honda were to sell one. For reference, the Toyota Mirai is around $57,000 and has a range of 650km.
The future success of hydrogen cars relies heavily on the availability of hydrogen as a fuel source that's also been produced in an environmentally-friendly way. If that's possible and becomes a common fuel type at gas stations, then it's likely our driving future won't be all electric vehicles, it will be a mix of hydrogen and electric.
Source: Honda's Clarity Fuel Cell hydrogen car has a 750km range
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