With ever-rising gas prices (yes, they are still rising despite the recent lowering of prices at the pump), people are eagerly awaiting any news from car makers about more fuel efficient options. This, of course, makes sense because people are tired of needing to get a mortgage to pay their monthly gasoline bill.
The good news — many new technologies that are coming online today can help alleviate the pain at the pump by delivering fabulous gas mileage. The downside is that the cost to produce the cars powered by hydrogen have not yet benefited from the economies of scale and a hydrogen car like the Honda Clarity will still costs quite a bit, even to lease.
The Honda Clarity is a hydrogen fuel cell car that is now for lease in Southern California. The good news is that the Honda Clarity is about 3-times as efficient as a standard gasoline-powered compact car and roughly twice as efficient as a standard hybrid. The downside is that it isn’t exactly easy to find compressed hydrogen to fuel the car. And then there’s the cost. For the privilege of being one of the first to lease the Honda Clarity, you get to pay $600 per month. Although this amount isn’t much to the average Californian, remember that you’re basically getting a Civic that tops out at 100 mph.
Expect to need to be on the A-list to get a shot at leasing the Clarity—the program is starting with only 200 cars available. “People are willing to shell out some extra money to show that they are doing their part to combat global warming,” states Texas luxury car rental agency owner and serial entrepreneur Ron Sturgeon.
“However, it is difficult for the Clarity to get serious traction without motorists being able to readily find a place to refuel them,” says the Fort Worth public speaker, author, and business consultant. “It looks like Honda engineers are hard at work on a Home Energy Station that might solve the problem that has kept Hydrogen cars off the road for so long,” says Mr. Sturgeon.
We shall see.
Written by G.D. Gregory. If you are interested in having me write stories for you or seeing my portfolio, please contact me at ggpsu@yahoo.com. Pictures in this story courtesy of Honda.
