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126 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell Vehicles take to the roads of California

While the headline may not read like a huge sales stride for Honda’s latest and greatest FCEV (hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle) it’s very encouraging to this alternative personal transportation advocate putting it into perspective, that’s huge news.
2018 Honda Clarity American Honda Motors 2017

GM’s Chevrolet division was the first to experiment with a mainstream fuel cell vehicle back in the 1960s. At that time, the fuel stack electric generator was so large, that a Chevy van was utilized to facilitate the experiment. Later would come a Corvair based battery electric. It would take 2 Japanese owned auto manufacturers to bring hydrogen fuel cell electric car technology to the present, with the advent of the Toyota Mirai, the first 4-door sedan to hit the streets of Los Angeles in 2016, followed by Honda’s larger 5=passenger Clarity FCV in 2017. We took our first ride in the reinvented Clarity in Santa Barbara, California, loved it!

Honda fully intends to produce 1100 + Clarity FCV s in the first full year of production

Looking to the 126 Clarity FCVs now roaming the streets of Southern and Central California, I‘d venture that Honda’s on track to meet their sales target. According to my inside sources at Honda, consumer demand for the zero emissions FCV outstrips current supply. Currently, the only downside to hydrogen fuel cell electric, is the availability of public compressed hydrogen refueling stations. The network is expanding on the west coast of the United States, thanks to a partnership with the California state government, Honda, Toyota, and I suspect G.M., Hyundai and others. Read my latest take on Honda Clarity here.

Clarity lineup to include BEV and plug-in electric hybrid 2017_Honda_Clarity_McCants

There's a bit more to Clarity than hydrogen fuel cell electric. A.H.M. is promising an expansion of the Honda Clarity platform to include a stand alone battery electric, and a plug-in extended range gasoline, electric hybrid. We anticipate the launching of the Clarity trilogy by late fall 2017, as a 2018 model.

Parks McCants comes to TorqueNews with a strong journalism, reporting background in social economics and politics. Cutting his writing chops through MSNBC Newsvine, Examiner.Com, and Hubpages, McCants has transitioned into a lifetime obsession with everything automotive. "I grew up on the backlots of a Southern California Ford dealership," says McCants. "By the time I was 17, I'd bought, modified, and sold 50 cars or so." The rest is history." Today Parks can be read at TorqueNews.Com reporting on Acura and Honda development. Follow Parks on Twitter for automotive industry news.

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