Honda at NAIAS: Visionary or confused about fuel cell vehicles?
The Honda Clarity Fuel Cell Vehicle next to the Home Fueling StationWhen it comes to hybrid cars, currently, there are just two players: Toyota and Honda. Yesterday, I covered my irrational disappointment with Toyota (more). Today, I'm going to cover my disappointment with Honda.
Unlike Toyota, Honda has nothing to lose and everything to gain when it comes to hybrids, and Honda plans to soon challenge the Toyota Prius with a new hybrid. So, was this new hybrid at NAIAS? No. Instead Honda's loud and clear message was about fuel cell vehicles. Read more....
Labels: fuel cells, Honda, Honda FCX, hydrogen highway, NAIAS, plug-in hybrid vehicles
posted by Dahcredyns at
6:42 AM
3 Comments:
Full Story
When it comes to hybrid cars, currently, there are just two players: Toyota and Honda. Yesterday, I covered my irrational disappointment with Toyota (more). Today, I'm going to cover my disappointment with Honda.
Unlike Toyota, Honda has nothing to lose and everything to gain when it comes to hybrids, and Honda plans to soon challenge the Toyota Prius with a new hybrid. So, was this new hybrid at NAIAS? No. In fact when I walked by Honda as I first entered the Auto Show, I was shocked by how few cars Honda had on the floor the first day - I think it was 4 or maybe 5.
At NAIAS, Honda had one message about the future: Fuel Cell Vehicles.
About one third of Honda's floor space was dedicated to the Honda Clarity fuel cell vehicle, an amazing vehicle and my pick for the best of the LA Auto Show. The Clarity is a remarkable car and it embodies a revolutionary dream - the hydrogen economy. Still, it seems obvious that the hydrogen economy has serious obstacles, too many obstacles to wager the future.
Yet, Honda isn't afraid. Why?
Is Honda just playing coy? Is Honda fully prepared for lithium, for plug-in hybrid vehicles if the battery technology develops, or does Honda really believe that fuel cell vehicles make electric vehicles unnecessary in most markets?
I don't know, but what I do know is that Honda has been a terribly successful automaker, and Honda's history demonstrates that betting against them isn't a very wise move. Something must be going on at Honda. Either Honda is slipping a bit, or Honda is onto something that the automaker cannot fully express just yet, and I'm left feeling very, very intrigued by Honda's future.
Really loved the site. I love hybridcars, but I wish they were cheaper!!!
Maybe Honda is playing reverse psychology with the other automakers...i.e. look at our fuel cell care HERE while we are secretly developing something else entirely over THERE.
Either way...these games these automakers play is ABSURD. We, as a species on this planet, have no time left whatsoever for this kind of crap.
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