{"id":20302,"date":"2017-03-25T16:02:09","date_gmt":"2017-03-25T20:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=20302"},"modified":"2017-03-25T16:02:09","modified_gmt":"2017-03-25T20:02:09","slug":"payne-hydrogen-fuel-honda-clarity-first-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2017\/03\/payne-hydrogen-fuel-honda-clarity-first-drive","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Hydrogen-fuel Honda Clarity, first drive"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"clarity_whites\"<\/p>\n<\/div>

I\u2019m tooling around the hills of Santa Barbara in a 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell. Powered by the fusion of hydrogen and oxygen, the Clarity emits only water, which could be the solution to California\u2019s drought issues: drive to work, produce H20, water your garden when you get home.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not why the Clarity is only available out here in La La Land. Let me explain.<\/p>\n

When my motorhead pals visit Michigan, they notice our state is a little different. They remark on the prevalence of Detroit-made cars rarely seen elsewhere \u2014 Lincolns, Cadillacs, Buicks. They get it, of course. Motown is the capital of U.S. autos even if they don\u2019t dominate the landscape like they once did.<\/p>\n

Visit California and it\u2019s a lot different. Indeed, the Left Coast could be its own country.<\/p>\n

Travel to $6-a-gallon Europe and the narrow streets are clogged with tiny tin cans rarely seen on this side of the pond: VW Polos, Mercedes B-Class, Smart ForTwos. The wocka-wocka of diesel engines is everywhere thanks to favorable tax treatment from devout green governments that believe fossil fuels a sin. So too, California.<\/p>\n

The Green Church here worships the polar bear, so the tax credits flow \u2014 not to nitrogen oxide-heavy diesels but to electric vehicles. There are whole schools of fish rarely seen elsewhere on the continent: the Nissan Leaf, Ford C-Max, lots of Toyota Priuses and hydrogen-powered cars like my Clarity tester. Gas prices here average $3.20 a gallon, but Californians get a fat $5,000 rebate if they choose an electrified vehicle.<\/p>\n

California\u2019s GDP would make it the world\u2019s sixth-richest country<\/a>, and it\u2019s America\u2019s biggest auto market. That gives Sacramento\u2019s green priests enormous market power. By 2025, 15 percent of automakers\u2019 sales<\/a> here must be \u201czero-emission vehicles\u201d powered by batteries or fuel cells whether customers want them or not.<\/p>\n

Thus my Clarity.<\/p>\n

The name will be familiar to green nerds as the 2007 spawn of Honda\u2019s hydrogen experiments. The 2017 is available not just with the moon-shot hydrogen fuel cell, but also in pure electric and plug-in versions like the compact Prius (hybrid\/EV\/plug-in variants) or Hyundai Ioniq<\/a> (hybrid\/EV\/plug-in).<\/p>\n

The plug-in Clarity, which starts in the mid-$30,000 range, will take on competitors like the Chevy Volt and Tesla Model 3 in all 50 states.<\/p>\n

The Clarity Fuel Cell is a more exotic animal built only for California (the pure-electric will also be for that state only). Though Honda lists a sticker price of $59,365, the Clarity Fuel Cell is only available for lease at an expensive $369 per month. Which is a steal. Let me explain.<\/p>\n

The upper-$300s sounds more like a first-class Acura than a coach-class Honda ($200 for a mid-size Accord, $170 for a Civic). But California\u2019s $5,000 rebate reduces the Clarity\u2019s payment by $140 a month, and Honda throws in the hydrogen fuel for free. That\u2019s a $160-a-month fuel savings if you\u2019re the average Accord driver.<\/p>\n

Do the math: $369 minus $140 minus $160 equals $69 a month.<\/p>\n

My Left Coast media peers took notice. \u201cAre you kidding? I\u2019ll take it for 69 bucks!\u201d said one. \u201cI\u2019ve been paying California taxes through the nose subsidizing Leo DiCaprio\u2019s Teslas and Fiskers. It\u2019s my turn for a break!\u201d<\/p>\n

Wise-cracking scribes aside, Clarity suitors are likely to be green nerds. The Clarity is a natural date for the social-climbing owner of a Prius, Accord hybrid or Ford Fusion Energi.<\/p>\n

The Clarity\u2019s face makes a good first impression. The familiar Honda grille and jewel-eye headlamps are framed by vertical LED running lights that remind of a Cadillac CT6.<\/p>\n

But then its wardrobe gets geeky. Hondas sit on front-wheel-drive platforms, but the Clarity\u2019s front overhang is particularly long thanks to the drivetrain\u2019s front packaging and fuel-efficient aero-ducts.<\/p>\n

Green chic runs amok in the rear where the Clarity borrows a dual-window from green icons Prius and Chevy Volt. Covered aero-fenders recall Honda\u2019s ill-fated nerd classic, the compact Insight. Think of the Clarity as a grown-up Insight.<\/p>\n

Mature suede and leather materials distinguish the interior. The push-button shifter bridges console storage for smartphones and purses. Honda offers its first heads-up display. There\u2019s seating for five.<\/p>\n

But what you really want to know is whether I needed a hazmat suit to fuel this rolling Hindenburg.<\/p>\n

The good news: Pumping hydrogen these days is as easy, safe and fast as gasoline. Pulling into a Santa Barbara Shell station, I nuzzled the Clarity up to the hydrogen pump, selected the quicker 10,000-psi setting, locked the nozzle over the Honda\u2019s narrow filler and was done in minutes. The massive hydrogen tank eats into the Clarity\u2019s trunk space (good luck storing big suitcases back there), but Honda assures that it\u2019s built to withstand a punt in the rear by an SUV piloted by an oblivious texter.<\/p>\n

The bad news? Hydrogen has serious infrastructure and environmental problems. Where filling stations and cell-tower infrastructure naturally followed the explosive growth of gas cars and portable phones, no one\u2019s lining up to fuel scarce hydrogen cars (only Toyota and Hyundai make Clarity competitors). Which is why the government is building a 100-station infrastructure, one costly $1.5 million pump at a time. And extracting hydrogen from water burns a lot of energy. As environmentalist Joseph Romm bluntly put it: \u201cAs a CO2 reducer, hydrogen stinks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back on the road, I stomp the gas \u2014 er, electrons \u2014 and the result is dynamite.<\/p>\n

The fuel cell spins an electric motor which launches the 4,134-pound sedan like a catapult or a slower Tesla Model S. Unlike the Model S, the Clarity is a front-wheel driver, but still manages quick getaways without spasms of torque steer.<\/p>\n

I drove the Clarity like a Motor City madman and occasionally explored its 103-mph top speed. Like an electric car, a lead foot quickly degrades the fuel cell\u2019s range. But unlike the 240-mile Tesla and Bolt EVs, the Clarity gets a gas-like 369 miles of range. Under my whip, the digital instrument display still projected 264 miles of range until the next hydrogen station. If you can find one.<\/p>\n

Given its limitations, Clarity should meet its modest Republic of California compliance sales goals. That is, until someone figures out how it can also water lawns.<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/p>\n

2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
VEHICLE TYPE<\/strong><\/td>\nFORWARD-DRIVETRAIN, FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE, FIVE-PASSENGER SEDAN<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Power plant<\/strong><\/td>\nProton-exchange membrane fuel cell driving AC electric motor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Transmission<\/strong><\/td>\nSingle-speed automatic (with Sport mode)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight<\/strong><\/td>\n4,134 pounds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Price<\/strong><\/td>\n$59,365 (only available as lease for $369 a month)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Power<\/strong><\/td>\n174 horsepower, 221 pound-feet of torque<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Performance<\/strong><\/td>\n0-60 mph, 8.5 seconds (est.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fuel economy<\/strong><\/td>\nEPA 68 city\/66 highway\/67 combined<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Report card<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
HIGHS<\/strong><\/td>\nUPSCALE, ROOMY INTERIOR; EASY FUELING<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lows<\/strong><\/td>\nWhere\u2019s the closest pump?; hydrogen isn\u2019t zero-emission<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Overall:<\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m tooling around the hills of Santa Barbara in a 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell. Powered by the fusion of hydrogen and oxygen, the Clarity emits only water, which could be the solution to California\u2019s drought issues: drive to work, produce H20, water your garden when you get home. But that\u2019s not why the Clarity […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20302"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20302"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20303,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20302\/revisions\/20303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}