Honda FCX Clarity finally in production

When it comes to electric cars and fuel-cell cars, we tend to wait around for a while, always being promised something that is just the little bit further into the future.

Today, however, we have something firmly in hand. Honda announced that it has begun commercial production of its fuel-cell-powered car, the FCX Clarity. From its debut as a concept vehicle in 2005 at the Tokyo Motor Show, this has been designed from the ground up to uniquely be a fuel-cell car, not a variant on a gasoline-powered or range-extended EV.

Honda's newly built production line, dedicated to the FCX, will only produce a few dozen units this year, but it expects to crank out 200 next year, all to be leased for three years to test them out and gather data.

As you might expect, the first five recipients of the vehicle will be Hollywood types, to raise the profile of the car, but the others will go a handful of the over 50,000 applicants who signed up for a lease. The number of interested parties, who would pay $600 a month, is quite amazing in showing the commitment and desire for alternative fuel vehicles in the U.S.

The Clarity, which uses Honda's V Flow Fuel cell stack will have a maximum range of 280 miles per tank, running at the equivalent of 74 mpg. It's also managed to improve the lithium-ion batteries to be 50% lighter and 40% smaller and also boast about its 50% improvement in fuel stack power output.

To fuel the vehicles, Honda has created a fuel-cell dealership network in California which should expand over the coming years. Until then, the leases will be confined to those areas with existing hydrogen fill stations.

It should be interesting to see what happens with Honda, considering it dropped the Accord hybrid for lack of consumer interest yet Toyota hit 1 million Prius sales. But it is clear that Honda is now leading the front of fuel-cell vehicles in the market.