The Hydrogen Car Is Here

For those skeptics who say that hydrogen vehicles are unworkable with current technology, here comes the story of some folks in California driving to work every day on hydrogen.

Honda said that the Clarity has a cruising range of up to 280 miles, but Ms. Thorp said her real-world experience is closer to 200 miles. “I think I’m getting something like 45 to 55 miles per kilogram of hydrogen, and a kilo is approximately the equivalent of a gallon of gasoline,” she said. “The car is hard to drive in a fuel-efficient manner because it has such great pickup and cornering. I feel like a Jetson and everybody else is a Flintstone.”

Todd Mittleman, a Honda spokesman, said that the Clarity’s range is dependent on “the outside temperature and individual driving style.” He said an auxiliary lithium-ion battery helps to extend range. Ms. Thorp fills up at a hydrogen station on the campus of the University of California at Irvine. She swipes an access fob, enters a PIN number and attaches the hydrogen nozzle. After the dispenser conducts a hose leak test, it fills the car in about five minutes. - The New York Times

Sure, a few California commuters do not a new economy make, but how many people are driving actual Chevy Volts today? It's a testament to Honda that they've got people driving real hydrogen cars in real driving situations today, if only for the lessons learned to apply to cars of tomorrow.

As President Obama says, it's about what works, folks. Honda has hydrogen cars working on the roads of California today. Yep, this is now Obama's America.