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Honda Shows Hydrogen Is Here

Hydrogen fuel car won't shock you with its forward-thinking design, NYT says

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 9, 2007 9:15 AM CST

(Newser) – It may not look high-tech enough for the Jetsons, but Honda’s new FCX Clarity is definitely worth all the buzz, New York Times auto critic Norman Mayersohn gushes. After test-driving the sedan, which runs on hydrogen fuel, Mayersohn said its greatest trick is its simplicity, which helps “convince drivers that the cars of our future aren’t so frightening after all.”

Next summer, Honda will begin leasing Clarity for $600 a month to select households in Southern California. Mayersohn says the lucky few can expect better travel ranges than plug-in hybrids and better fuel efficiency than battery-powered cars. “The Clarity lacked nothing except engine noise,” the critic notes, but warns the scarcity of hydrogen-fuel stations could put the brakes on the car’s rollout.

[Images (3)]

[Videos (2)]

Tetsuo Iwamura, president and chief executive officer of American Honda Motor, Co., Inc., introduces the Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell vehicle during the LA Auto Show, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007.... (Associated Press)

The new Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle is unveiled during the Los Angeles Motor Show. (Getty Images)

The new Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle is unveiled during the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, 14 November 2007. AFP PHOTO/GABRIEL BOUYS (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

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Honda Shows Hydrogen Is Here