Phantom of Hydrogen Returns with Honda FCX Clarity

Scientists have been trying to find an alternative to fossil fuels to run cars for decades. Even in 2015 when gas prices have been at their lowest, talks about Hydrogen as a fuel have been revived. This is surprising given the fact that battery powered vehicles are also doing well at present. This may be because the prices of hydrogen fuel cells are falling and there s also a possibility of network of refueling stations. These are the reasons why many automobile giants are becoming interested in hydrogen powered cars.

Among car manufacturers taking the lead in this regard is Hyundai. It has been working on electric cars that are different from the traditional battery powered automobiles. Instead of a battery that charges through an electric source, this car produces power with the help of hydrogen provided inside the car and oxygen that is present in the air. This arrangement results in the release of pure water droplets instead of CO2 and CO.

In contrast to battery powered vehicles that take a long time to recharge, hydrogen fuel cells recharge very quickly. A fuel tank of hydrogen can be recharged inside 10 minutes to make it very convenient for the car owners. This is not the only advantage as hydrogen powered cars can run almost 300 miles on a tank full of hydrogen.

Theoretically speaking, hydrogen fuelled cars are ideal for the environment as they cause no pollution. But despite its abundance in the atmosphere, obtaining hydrogen to run cars has been very difficult so far. Then there is the problem of refueling as there are no hydrogen gas stations at present. Also, making carbon fiber tanks to store hydrogen has always been a very expensive proposition. In 2002, when Honda produced experimental FCX cars, it was estimated that these cars could cost up to $1 million to manufacture. However, automobile manufacturers are in a way being forced by the authorities to manufacture zero emission cars by the end of 2050. There are also heavy incentives introduced by California administration for manufacturers producing hydrogen powered vehicles.

GM manufactured  some SUV’s that were hydrogen fuel powered in the year 2007 and even made a bold statement that it would be able to sell a million such cars by 2020. However, these plans have been shelved and GM is now focusing its attention on hybrid and battery powered cars. Even Honda tried its hands in this field and sold FCX clarity cars that were run on hydrogen to a few customers. However, of the 28 million cars running on the roads of California, only about a hundred are hydrogen powered.

Despite these failures, Toyota remains bullish on these cars. It has plans to sell its latest fuel cell powered cars called Mirai priced at $58325 to consumers in California alone. Honda is planning the same with its concept car FCV that will be introduced in 2016. Toyota says that it has reduced the cost of fuel cells by 95% with the help of car makers like Honda, GM, Ford, Nissan, and Dailmer.