CNN.com

 

Very nice that they're developing new technologies but:
No mention of range on full tank, I would imagine nowhere near 600 miles for TCH
Not many gas stations selling liquid hydrogen
Maybe car have zero emissions but making hydrogen costs energy and right now energy is made mostly burning fossil fuels
How do they compare MPG? Are they using one gallon of hydrogen against one gallon of gas? If they did , I think hydrogen has higher energy content than gas and which hybrid or regualr car's mpg are they comparing to? Some cars have MPG as low as 15 MPG and for example Honda Accord hybrid was somewhere around 32mpg. And how is the car performing on the highway? IS it fast enough to accelerate and keep up with 80 miles per hour traffic or will you need to say few prayers before getting out of your local streets. This is not much more than GM's EV1 electric car introduced about 10 years ago, just the gimmick and technology preview, but I wish I was wrong.
And BTW where is that Honda Accord diesel they were talking about a year or 2 ago, rated at 60 MPG????

 

Wikipedia Reference

Honda

 

Quantities so low that it's basically a publicity stunt. I saw 200 over THREE YEARS mentioned on CNN site. The company selects who gets them -- seems to be mainly celebrities, and only leases them. Nobody can BUY one.

When they start SELLING them on the open market, that will be real news. Even with twice the efficiency of a hybrid, 200 in 3 years will have no measurable effect on the country's energy use.

 

I originally bought my hybrid to help with the eco system. I think that the honda's draw will be the emissions, not the milage.

 

CNN article says each car costs cool one million dollars to make. If this is anything else but publicity stunt, what else could it be then?

 

the first cell phone was 2 grand. now there free

 

As stupid as the electric cars. These kinds of things belong in vehicles whose use will limit their distance so they can be used and properly evaluated.

Having electric or hydrogen taxis or local delivery vehicles makes good sense. Having regular cars that travel anywhere is idiotic.

 

This is nothing more than a high-profile publicity stunt, as a few others mentioned. I mean.......where are these few select celebrites going to fill their leased cars with liquid Hydrogen?? If it's true that they cost $1 million each, it's going to be many years before they are even close to afforable for most people. Hybrids are the only "real" option for most people that want an alternative fuel vehicle.........other than bio fuels, that is.

 

Customer paid Beta test?

Seriously, Honda's trying to get the cars in hands of 'real' drivers to gauge issues with the systems. Biggest problem, and why the restricted area of availability, is the supply of H2. There was also a NG-based reformer for a home fueling station. With an on-board reformer to generate the H2, the fuel cell could be viable - the majority of the drivetrain technology on that sort of vehicle is already underhood of the Camry. The substitute is fuel cell to generate the electricity instead of the ICE. The EM and controls are fundamentally the same, but with a somewhat stronger EM.