A Silver Bullet for Green?

Posted by William Walton III on November 25, 2008 5:38 PM

Walking around the Honda display at the L.A. Auto Show, I am reminded that there is no real silver bullet for green—at least in the near term. Sure the spotlight is on our exciting new concept vehicles like the hydrogen-powered FC Sport design study, the CR-Z hybrid concept and the Insight Concept. But we also proudly feature vehicles you can buy today, like the Civic Hybrid, the Fit, and a shiny Civic GX natural-gas vehicle as well as the available Phill®[1] Station.

So, gasoline, hybrid, electric, natural gas, fuel cell—which one is best?

At Honda, we believe strongly in the potential of hydrogen fuel cell technology. Hydrogen is a clean energy source. We’re excited by the possibilities for our compact and efficient V Flow Fuel Cell powertrain. It has allowed us to design the FCX Clarity as a comfortable sedan in the hands of real drivers today, and to envision the FC Sport design study, which illustrates what the future of high-performance sports cars could be.

However, there are many hurdles yet to cross before hydrogen fueling can be made available to a large market. The infrastructure is not yet in place to support widespread adoption of this promising technology. We are working on solutions to that issue—such as the Home Energy Station, which generates hydrogen from natural gas and is designed to provide heat and electricity for the home through fuel cell cogeneration and to supply fuel for a hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle.

Until hydrogen refueling is more convenient and widely deployed, we believe the best approach is to explore and bring to market a range of technologies that people can start to use right now. For example, the AT-PZEV[2] Civic GX NGV runs on compressed natural gas—a source of energy that’s cleaner than gasoline and readily available today.

And since the most widely available fuel source right now is still gasoline, we are happy to be able to offer more fuel-efficient vehicles like the 35-mpg Honda Fit[3] and our hybrid vehicles: the Civic Hybrid, the soon-to-be-released Insight and the CR-Z concept .

Although widespread fuel cell use is still a ways away, there are viable alternatives available today that can serve as stepping stones on the way to a gasoline-free future. So the answer to which technology is best right now? Whatever works with your lifestyle.

--Will