The Honda FCX Clarity is a fabulous hydrogen powered car

The Honda FCX Clarity is a Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV), which means it is one of those future cars that are highly speculated and always in news lately. However, this is not a car that Honda is yet to produce, as it has been around ever since the year 2008 and has already reached the stage where it needs to be upgraded. However, the beauty of this car is that in several ways, this specimen of the world’s hot segment still appears brand new.

Now, the question is, if the Honda Clarity has been there for over 5 years, why is the car not seen on the roads? The answer is there are only around 25 cars running the roads at the moment in the areas of Los Angeles, where hydrogen pumps are more accessible.

Honda is also bracing up to release a new fuel cell vehicle by 2015 but the company can boast of already having a real fuel cell powered car under its sleeves. The Clarity is a full bodied four door car, which is similar to Honda Accord in terms of size and weight.

This otherwise excellent car’s downside is that compared to a conventional car, the Honda Clarity has a noisy start-up owing to its air compressor that forces oxygen through the fuel cell membranes of the car with hydrogen to produce the required electricity, which emits only water vapor. According to the company, the engineers will now dramatically decrease the noise in the Clarity’s next generation model.

Apart from some whooshing noise, the Clarity offers quite conventional driving experience.  The car’s build quality is very good with a strong, stable and lean body, though it feels little heavy towards the front owing to its front wheel drive system.

The Clarity also has great regenerative brakes that seem to be dependable and very powerful. The cars steering wheel feels a little tight as compared to the modern EVs, which is a sign of its age and is sure to be fixed in its next gen model. The dashboard suffices very well, though it might appear to have too many buttons to the new-age EV users. The car’s updated connectivity system is updated to be compatible with latest smartphones.

The Clarity offers a seating arrangement that is very comfortable, and can accommodate only two adults at its rear seats because of the fuel cell mechanism.

The Clarity is a lease only model that costs $600 a month for three years, including everything and free fuel. The car offers 60 miles per kilogram of hydrogen, which is equivalent to 60 mpg per gallon of gasoline.

The Honda Clarity is a fine blend of class, premium features and futuristic appeal and technology. It is a car that has a lot to offer and will impress most car consumers. It makes one wonder, why Honda has leased out only a handful and not hundreds of this fantastic car. May be, this is what the company is planning for 2015.