| FuelCellStocks.Com Fuel Cell News July 18, 2005 Running on fumes I'm supposed to be paying close attention to the fuel gauge--but other parts of the car are much more interesting. The accelerator, for instance. This week's test vehicle is Honda's hydrogen-powered fuel-cell car, the FCX, and it's much peppier around town than a typical economy car. It feels and sounds different, too. Since the hydrogen powers an electric motor rather than an internal combustion engine, there's no rumble, only the faint hum of machinery. As I accelerate, the FCX feels more like a tram than a car, smooth and steady, without the jolt of shifting gears. One oddity is a ghostly warble that intensifies as I speed up, like bad sound effects from a Scooby-Doo cartoon. The futuristic FCX is a long way from showrooms--there are only about 20 on U.S. roads--but it's a glimpse at the holy grail of the auto industry. Fuel cells generate power when hydrogen mixes with oxygen from the air, and they could represent a much deeper leap into the future than hybrids like the Toyota Prius, which still require a gas-powered engine. Hydrogen can be extracted from water, which could reshape petropolitics from China to Iraq. Hydrogen also is a more efficient fuel than gasoline. The FCX averages 57 miles per kilogram of hydrogen, roughly equivalent to 57 miles per gallon of gas. And the FCX' s tail-pipe emits precisely zero pollutants or greenhouse gases--only a small stream of water vapor seeps out. Every major automaker is chasing hydrogen dreams, but Honda is the first to allow ordinary bad drivers like journalists to try one out. And recently Honda leased an FCX to a California family of four, the Spallinos of Redondo Beach, who agreed to offer feedback on everyday driving. I'm sure they'll notice that the FCX is not quite as functional as other hatchbacks. The rear storage area is tiny, and the back seats don't even fold down. That's because an ultracapacitor, which stores energy captured during braking, takes up the space back there. Cross-country trips are out of the question, too. The FCX can travel only about 150 miles between fill-ups--and hydrogen stations are scarce. (The Spallinos happen to live near California's "hydrogen highway," where several stations are being built.) There are other limitations. At highway speeds, the FCX is short on passing power. And if I tested the car in January, it might sputter, since fuel cells are finicky in extreme cold or heat. Pit stops. Most important, fuel cells are still an immature technology, and it's not clear if manufacturers will ever be able to build them cost effectively. While hydrogen itself is a superclean fuel, extracting it from hydrocarbons, the most common production method, can create more pollution than it saves. And wringing it from water requires a lot of electricity, another source of pollution. Filling stations hundreds of miles apart won't cut it with consumers either. But the FCX makes a persuasive case for the technology. The electric motor's clean, quiet ride is a reminder that the internal combustion engine, the automotive standard for a century, need not be the end of the road. And it's satisfying to look in the rearview mirror and know I'm leaving no toxins behind. I'm just happy I can give the FCX back to Honda before the fuel meter hits the peg.
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