Listen to any news story about the current financial troubles of the General Motors auto company, and you’re likely to hear about the Chevrolet Volt, what they call an electric car (even though it has a gasoline engine to charge it’s batteries) that they say will be the future of the automobile. Of course, the Volt is still more than a year away from actually hitting showroom floors (expected date of November 2010), and it remains to be seen whether the vehicle will be remotely cost efficient. Forget the Volt, because the Honda FCX Clarity has been up and running since 2005, and the only thing it emits is water vapor. Continue Reading
The new Honda Civic Si represents a bold step forward for the company. Although models with Mugen elements have been sold in the United States in the past, this is the first year that this model will exported to the US officially. On the outside, it looks like the regular Si with a few improvements, but it’s what lies beneath that will make this model special. Continue Reading
Scheduled to begin limited retail marketing in summer 2008 the Honda FCX Clarity is a hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicle boasts an absolutely zero emissions capability. (well.. except a little water). The FCX Clarity utilizes Honda’s V Flow stack in combination with a new compact and efficient lithium ion battery pack and a single hydrogen storage tank to power the vehicle’s electric drive motor. The fuel cell stack operates as the vehicle’s main power source. Hydrogen combines with atmospheric oxygen in the fuel cell stack, where chemical energy from the reaction is converted into electric power used to propel the vehicle. Additional energy captured through regenerative braking and deceleration is stored in the lithium ion battery pack, and used to supplement power from the fuel cell, when needed. Continue Reading