2003 Honda FCX-V4 - A Fuel Cell Car for the Masses?
Tired of noxious emissions from your car's tailpipe spewing into the air you breathe? Tired enough to pay a premium to put an end to it? That last one's a different story. If there were as many people willing to put their money where their mouths are we'd see a lot more Honda and Toyota Hybrids on our roads than we do.
But that said these few early Hybrids only hint at where the 'green' economy is taking the automotive industry. At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last week automakers of every stripe announced new variations on the hybrid drivetrain theme for models that ranged from economy cars to full-size SUVs and pickup trucks. Of course, out of the other side of their mouths some company's unveiled new production and concept cars of mammoth proportions, one of which boasted a 1,000 horsepower, 13.6-L 16-cylinder engine - hardly earth friendly.
Of course gas and diesel/electric hybrids, as efficient as they are, aren't the means to an end but merely a stopgap to a more environmentally friendly hydrogen economy. Honda, the undisputed leader in production car fuel efficiency, has just launched a real working fuel cell car, the FCX-V4.
The new Honda is the world's first EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and CARB (California Air Resources Board) certified fuel cell vehicle, creating zero emissions at the tailpipe. Officially CARB has given it a ZEV (Zero Emissions Vehicle) rating while the EPA designates it a Tier 2 - Bin 1, National Low Emission Vehicle (NLEV), their lowest national emission rating.