A Closer Look At The Honda Clarity FCV Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car

Over the last few years, plenty of car manufacturers have been releasing concept cars based on electric and other alternative fuels. Honda however is looking to lead the way by releasing their Clarity FCV next year in the UK. We are excited by this news here at Cox Motor parts, one of the UK’s top genuine Honda parts dealers, as too are plenty of Honda drivers and that is why we have been taking a closer look at what this futuristic five door has to offer.

Alternative Fuel Technology

Honda have been working on alternative fuel technology for a long time now, releasing the original Honda Clarity back in 2002, however only 72 were ever sold in California. The new Clarity FCV is taking the technology to the mainstream and will be on the UK market in 2016, initially on lease deals for around £42,000.

So how does it actually work? Well the innovative car mixes oxygen from the air with its hydrogen fuel to produce electricity, which then powers the cars front wheels. What this means is there are pretty much no harmful emissions either. One problem with previous electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf is that their milage was dreadful, allowing you to go as little as 60 miles before needing to recharge.

What this hydrogen technology does is allow you to go much further, whilst effectively running on electricity. The Clarity FCV looks like it is going to blow its competition out of the water on mileage too, being able to travel as far as 435 miles on its hydrogen power. Its closest rival, the Toyota Mirai, can only stretch up to around 300 miles.

Another common trait of alternative fuelled cars is their lack of power, however the Clarity FCV manages to go against the grain here too. Like most cars of its size, it will do 0-60 mph in around 11 seconds, and has no problem coping with the speeds of a motorway.

Something Honda have really spent time not to make this Clarity stand out above the rest however is the size and power of its fuel cell stack. Honda have been able to reduce the size of it by 33 per cent since the last Clarity, and improve the power density by 60 per cent. What all this means is it is compatible to a V6 engine and so much so that it is fitted under the bonnet, a luxury most hydrogen fuelled cars are unable to get away with.

What this means to the regular driver is that there is more space than ever in the new clarity, allowing for 5 seats, something which its competitor the Toyota can only manage 4. Unlike previous models the Clarity also has a convincing looking dashboard, complete with Honda connect central console, allowing you to forget your are in an alternative fuelled car, and make you feel like you are in any average Honda Civic hatchback.

As it stands the Hydrogen fuel cell car market is pretty small and so is its infrastructure. As it stands there are only 10 hydrogen filling stations in operation in mainland Britain, but with releases like this car next year, we believe that it won’t be long before they are far more commonly seen.