Honda Tests Hydrogen-Powered FCX with Private Family for First Time

Another Milestone on the Road to a Hydrogen Economy

According to industry experts, it will be approximately ten years before

Senior Vice President of American Honda Motor Co., Inc, John Mendel, right, presents a symbolic key to the Spallino family for their 2005 Honda FCX, an advanced hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle, during a news conference introducing the vehicle, Wednesday, June 29, 2005 in Los Angeles. (Photo: American Honda)

hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles arrive on the market for mass production, but for one lucky Californian family that has just leapfrogged to the front of the line for what might become one of the most important automotive-related technologies in the new century.

Earlier this week, John and Sandy Spallino and their two children took delivery of a Honda FCX, and in so doing were given the opportunity to lease the special vehicle from American Honda Motor Company in the industry's first long-term private test of fuel cell technology.

Normally fuel cell vehicles are incorporated into large company or government fleets, so therefore the opportunity to see

Jon and Sandy Spallino take a spin in their 2005 Honda FCX, an advanced hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle. (Photo: American Honda)

how a real-world family makes use of Honda's environmental flagship prototype will be of great interest to all involved in the hydrogen fuel cell industry.

From the rigors of day to day use, engineers and project managers will learn about how the FCX copes with real-world driving experiences. Honda hopes to obtain feedback from private users in order to enhance the everyday practicality of its fuel cell vehicles, should the automaker decide to pursue producing the FCX on a larger scale. While the FCX looks like an average Honda, with its inoffensive styling and conventional shape, it is actually built by hand at a fairly high cost.