Honda's Zero-Emission Car Unveiled: FCX Clarity

TAKANEZAWA, Japan — Honda's new zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell car rolled off a Japanese production line Monday and is headed to Southern California, where Hollywood is already abuzz over the latest splash in green motoring.

The FCX Clarity, which runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water and none of the noxious fumes believed to induce global warming. It is also two times more energy efficient than a gas-electric hybrid and three times that of a standard gasoline-powered car, the company says.

Japan's third biggest automaker expects to lease out a "few dozen" units this year and about 200 units within three years. In California, a three-year lease will run $600 a month, which includes maintenance and collision coverage.

Among the first customers are actress Jamie Lee Curtis and filmmaker husband Christopher Guest, actress Laura Harris, film producer Ron Yerxa, as well as businessmen Jon Spallino and Jim Salomon.

"It's so smooth," said Harris, who played villainness Marie Warner on the hit TV show "24" and was flown over by Honda for the ceremony. "It's like a future machine, but it's not."

The FCX Clarity is an improvement of its previous-generation fuel cell vehicle, the FCX, introduced in 2005.

A breakthrough in the design of the fuel cell stack, which is the unit that powers the car's motor, allowed engineers to lighten the body, expand the interior and increase efficiency, Honda said.

The fuel cell draws on energy synthesized through a chemical reaction between hydrogen gas and oxygen in the air, and a lithium-ion battery pack provides supplemental power. The FCX Clarity has a range of about 270-miles per tank with hydrogen consumption equivalent to 74 miles per gallon, according to the carmaker.

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The 3,600-pound vehicle can reach speeds up to 100 miles per hour.

John Mendel, executive vice president of America Honda Motor Co., said at a morning ceremony it was "an especially significant day for American Honda as we plant firm footsteps toward the mainstreaming of fuel cell cars."

The biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel cell vehicles are cost and the dearth of hydrogen fuel stations. For the Clarity's release in California, Honda said it received 50,000 applications through its website but could only consider those living near stations in Torrance, Santa Monica and Irvine.

Initially, however, the Clarity will go only to a chosen few starting July and then launch in Japan this fall.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called for a statewide network of hydrogen stations, but progress has been slow.

The state has also recently relaxed a mandate for the number of zero-emission cars it aims to have on roads. By 2014, automakers must now sell 7,500 electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, a reduction of 70 percent.

Spallino, who currently drives Honda's older FCX and was also flown in for the ceremony, said he will use the Clarity to drive to and from work and for destinations within the Los Angeles area. The small number of hydrogen fuel stations is the "single limiting factor" for fuel cell vehicles, he said.

"It's more comfortable, and it handles well," said Spallino of Redondo Beach. "It's got everything. You're not sacrificing anything except range."

The world's major automakers have been making heavy investments in fuel cells and other alternative fuel vehicles amid climbing oil prices and concerns about climate change.

Although Honda Motor Co. was the first Japanese automaker to launch a gas-electric hybrid vehicle in the U.S. in 1999, it has been outpaced by the dominance of Toyota's popular Prius.

Toyota announced in May that it has sold more than 1 million Prius hybrids, while both the Honda Insight and the hybrid Accord have been discontinued due to poor sales.

Honda also plans to launch a gas-electric hybrid-only model, as well as hybrid versions of the Civic, the sporty CR-Z and Fit subcompact.

Toyota has announced that it would launch a plug-in hybrid with next-generation lithium-ion batteries by 2010 and a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle later in Japan later this year.

U.S. carmaker General Motors Corp. plans to introduce a Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicle in 2010. It also introduced a test-fleet of hydrogen fuel cell Equinox SUVs.

Honda has no plans for a plug-in electric vehicle. President Takeo Fukui said he does not believe current battery technology is good enough to develop a feasible car.

The company has not revealed how much each car costs to make, and it is unclear when, or if, the car will be available for mass-market sales. Takeo has set a target for 2018, but meeting that goal will depend on whether Honda can significantly lower development and assembly costs as well as market reaction to fuel cells.

Comments

[ejay579]

I apologize in advance if I am repeating issues previously discussed in this post. Consumers might get the warm and fuzzies in believing that they are actually doing something for the environment by driving a hydrogen powered car but they probably are not. Hydrogen is produced by using electricity. It therefore takes an alternative energy source to produce hydrogen. If fossil fuels are used then pollution occurs at the point of manufacture.

It would take the equivalent of two semi- tractor trailer trucks to equal the same amount of energy of one standard 15 gallon gas tank. The answer here is to comress the hydrogen to tanks small enough to fit into cars. The amount of pressure needed would require thick and heavy tanks. In addition, alternative fuel sources are needed to run whatever is necessary to compress the hydrogen. A typical tank used for welding is compressed to 100 psi, which is considered high. It would take 60 of these tanks, weighing 6000 lbs., to equal one 15 gallon tank of gas.

[ebanks84]

What are you saying? What does fossil fuel have to do with a fuel cell vehicle? Please explain.

[ejay579]

A hydrogen car addresses a transportation problem only. It takes fossil fuels to both generate enough electricity to make hydrogen availabe and to generate enough electricity to compress it enough to fit tanks capable of being carried in cars. What is going to be the source of the fuel to generate the electricity for both manufacture and compression of hydrogen?

[Spazzers]

I was thinking the same thing, what is the carbon footprint just to make the car? Try to find a station that sells hydrogen. It does take a lot of electricity to make hydrogen, electricity generated from burning coal.

Nothing is truly green.

[ChimpmasterDJ]

You're absolutely right, the hydrogen fuel-cell approach isn't nearly as "green" as it is publicized to be. The energy requirements for the production and maintenance of those fuel-cells are counter-pr­oductive..­. unless you're a traditional oil company. Then, it would be like having your cake and eating it too. Similarly, ethanol and/or methanol produced from corn creates a dilemma that is completely counter-productive. The only reason such solutions are being seriously advanced at the political level, is because both are backed by powerful lobbies.

There is a truly "green" solution, the "Brown's Gas" model, as depicted here:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/genepax-shows-off-water-powered-fuel-cell-vehicle/

[RTIII]

Use of my FEET, fed by my garden... Nothing? Ha!

[prog]

Exactly, exactly, exactly. If you are burning coal or petroleum to make hydrogen, you aren't doing a thing to help the environment.

Hydrogen fuel cells are just another way of getting the energy from producer to consumer. THAT's ALL. If that energy is produced using petroleum, coal, firewood or burning a big pile of carcinogens in a bonfire, you are actually doing more harm. Why? because some energy is lost in the conversion/delivery process, anyway, and you've gotten "less mile per gallon" from that source than if you'd just driven a regular car.

It's where the energy originates that matters. Fuel cells are merely delivery systems. If you use solar to power the fuel cells, then you are on the right track.

[ebanks84]

Read this and then say what you think:

http://waterpoweredcar.com/stanmeyer.html

[MaxBob]

The greatest GREENHOUSE GAS is WATER VAPOR, accounting for 95% of GLOBAL WARMING. Adding a gazillion gallons of water vapor to the atmosphere through auto exhaust will do what again?

[DavidJames]

Water is not like carbon dioxide which mixes uniformly throughout the atmosphere. Excess water vapor leaves the atmosphere as dew, rain or snow.

[MaxBob]

So, excess rain will do what again? Are you in Iowa?

[Myshkin57]

Water vapor is not a gas.

[jpcline004]

hold on...its not? I thought it was solid/ice, liquid/water, gas/steam.­..could be wrong though

[RTIII]

water is the molecule - H2O. That's two hydrogens to one oxygen atom. Water has four states of mater, though only 3 are found on earth: solid (known as water ice, or just ice), liquid (usually just called water), and gaseous, otherwise known as "water vapor", and physicists tell us it has a fourth, a plasma at temps we don't experience on earth.

So, unless you want to be thought of as an imbecile, you might want to stop saying water vapor isn't a gas. It is by its very definition.

[theistus]

#1, no it isn't. #2, it may actually have some environmental effect, like increasing local humidty, and perahps causing more rainfall downwind of large cities. But the effect appears to be marginal, and in many cases beneficial, and in all cases much better than breathing the toxins that come from car exhaust as it stand now.

[MaxBob]

You are wrong, do more research.

http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/greenhouse_data.html

[addicted2purchase]

H2O is water. Seperate the two parts Hyrogen from the one part oxygen ...... then "burn" the Hyrogen by adding Oxygen from the enviroment and igniting just returns it back to H2O or water vapor, which equals humidity which under the right circumstances produces what I call RAIN. None of which are GREEN HOUSE GASSES. (Note: NO NEW WATER IS CREATED IN THE PROCESS. it only changes form then reverts back to the same amount of water as you started with) Making the electrical energy to seperate the H from the O is where the potental for GREENHOUSE GAS being released into the atmosphere. Solar, wind, and Hydroelectric not so much. Interesting that falling water can be used to split itself into its' primary elements don't you think?

[ebanks84]

That's similar to how I first read the procedure written by Stan Meyer. Now his site is so messed up and not all there that people will never realized how advanced this man really was. Yet his vapor was steam, he said.

[Superbus]

Two questions:

1. How fast from 0-60

2. When will the first full size SUV come out

[MaxBob]

Two Initial Questions:

1. How many blocks will be destroyed in first hydrogen refueling station explosion?

2. How will all the water vapor spewed by 300 million fuel cell cars effect the environment?

[markymark46]

i'm sure not that many more when the gas stations on EVERY CORNER IN THE COUNTRY explode.

What I'm saying is, you can contain manage risks. Gasoline is very volatile and dangerous as a gas and a liquid. But we have accepted that and managed that danger.

being afraid of change is the real threat.

[addicted2purchase]

1. About as many as would be destroyed if a gas station exploded. And we all know how often that happens. We have learned a lot since the HINDENBURG.
2. Harmfull water vapor? Get real! It's self-regulating in the form of RAIN when the DEW POINT is reached.

[DXM]

I'm all for alternative fuels but using hydrogen is neither "zero-emissions" or really a viable alternative. First, the current dominant source of hydrogen is from the processing of natural gas - a hydrocarbon. And one of the byproducts of this process is the greenhouse gas, CARBON DIOXIDE. While the hydrogen-fueled vehicle might be "zero emissions", the process of producing its fuel is definitely not. You might as well just fuel your vehicle with natural gas to begin with - it would be more cost efficient. Second, you could make the hydrogen by electrolysis but this requires electricity and most of the electricity in this country is generated by burning hydrocarbons (mainly coal and natural gas) which still produces greenhouse gases. And yes, you can make electricity with other power sources (wind, solar, etc.) but this just places even more demand on this too-slowly-growing source of energy. Hydrogen-fueled vehicles are NOT a viable alternative to our current hydrocarbon problem in the short- to medium-term and leaves us with the same problems we have now.

[Superbus]

When the Vikings landed in Greenland, it was green, due to more CO2 in the atmosphere than we have a thousand years later.

[Guitarsandmore]

When the tall ships ruled the seas they were all powered by wind and no one complained they were growing too slowly.

[theistus]

No it wasn't. They called it Greenland to get people to move to an icy wasteland. When Greenland was settled by the Norse around 900AD, it's climate was almost exactly as it is today.

[YellowPanties]

The Vikings had a hell of a sense of humor.

[DXM]

Actually, the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere is ~40% HIGHER today than it was when the Vikings settled Greenland. One thousand years ago the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere was around 275 ppm (parts per million) compared to today's value of ~385 ppm. Because of other climatic factors (most likely because the solar insolation being just a touch higher than it is today), the temperatures in Greenland during the 10th to 14th Century were comparable to those we now see there recently. It was the cooling during the Little Ice Age (caused by a marked decrease in solar insolation during the Maunder Minimum) that was a major contributor to the disappearance of the Viking settlements in Greenland during the 15th Century.

[ebanks84]

You have read Stan Meyer. See link above on one of my posts. He produces it as he goes. Even though he's gone now, you can do it yourself.

[research]

1 Trillion dollar over about 10 years would replace all coal, nuke, and imported oil use in the USA with solar, wind and electric vehicles.

Sustainable forever.

Cheaper then war crimes.

See my profile for details and links.

[ebanks84]

Huffington Post won't allow me to tell you the story of the inventor of the water car so I'll just let you read it for yourself. He was an American.

http://waterpoweredcar.com/stanmeyer.html

[Bonobou]

Wow!

Very interesting site. I downloaded and saved all of the .pdfs.

One would think some other inventor would take up the work; but that might not be a healthy thing to do, since it seems someone didn't want Stan to come to market with his ideas.

It appears that Stan's concepts could be expanded to be used for most of our energy needs, thus taking the oil indusstry almost out of the picture, if not all together, significally reducing their impact.

I'm going to write to Obama's campaign headquarters and suggest they take a look at this... could become a national priority.

Thanks for the link, ebanks!

[ebanks84]

FINALLY! Somebody finally read it. Thank you kind sir. Yes, Stan made an excellent invention and his way is better than the fuel cells mentioned above. I downloaded the schematics and all myself. Good luck my friend.

[ebanks84]

By the way, his twin brother seems to be taking it up. His name is on the site.

[WAstateliberal]

HuffPo is becoming a nanny state. Very annoying.

[Snerdgronk]

Original: "... Scientists have created bugs that will secrete petrol when feeding on plant waste."

SG: I'm just imagining the efficiency of these bugs feeding on Dick Cheney and his Oily buddies ....Burp!

Snerd

[navarro]

To all the people complaining about the coal and oil energy necessary to produce hydrogen -- we don't have to use coal and oil! We could generate most of the energy this country needs by filling the Mojave desert with high efficiency solar panels and wind turbines. It's useless space anyway, and the sun shines there almost all the time! Not to mention the energy we could generate with oceanic currents and the tide. Imagine harnessing the energy of the moon's gravity. Unfortunately, none of this will happen until the economy collapses completely.

[raw915]

'... until the economy collapses completely­."

And then it will be too late.

[navarro]

In a sense. But hundreds of thousands of new jobs will be created, and we can rebuild the new economy without dependence on expensive, dangerous, finite foreign resources. I have come to believe that the current economy almost has to be destroyed in order to remodel it in a more sustainable, distributed way.

[ebanks84]

Or, with plain water also. Water has hydrogen which is an untapped energy source we have overlooked in a lot of areas.

[MaxBob]

So we should deplete our potable water supply to power cars? Or better yet, deplete our oceans?

[theistus]

yah, that's the point. To extract hydrogen from water, you need electricty, and lots of it. It has to come from somewhere, hopefully not from more fossil fuels.

[MaxBob]

Would the environmentalists allow us to disturb such a pristine desert ecosystem??

[jpcline004]

"useless space" that is as dumb an argument as the pro-ANWAR people make.

[navarro]

The difference is that there is a large, various ecosystem in Alaska. There is very little in the middle of the desert but sand and rock. You can even see this as you fly over it. Also, drilling for (and having to ship) oil is not the same thing as installing (removable) solar panels and windmills. I don't think most environmentalists would object to clean energy coming from a place we otherwise have no real use for.

[Snerdgronk]

t-kon: "... consumers are the ones demanding it."

SG: You're (R)ight!

We demanded a "W'a(R) in Iraq for Oil, for Mercenaries, for Haliburton and for Dick Cheney's stock options. And Yes, pre 9/11, we demanded Dick meet with Oil companies (in secret) and set out oil policies and divide up Iraq's Oil.

We demanded a lack of moral leadership on Climate Change and no Green Enviro policies until China and India go Green first.

We demanded a Co(R)po(R)ate form of Globalization with a race to the bottom rather than a form of Globalization that lifted up other developing countries, that lifted up standards.

We've demanded Kat(R)ina like goverance with its c(R)onyism and incompetence ...

It's all consumer driven, (R)ight!

Snerd

[ebanks84]

About two months or so again, the patent on the water car had just expired and everyday on the web companies have been selling the schematic and instructions for $49.00 on how to convert your own vehicle to run off water and gas, separately of course. I got mine FREE.

The water car uses a fuel cell which separates the hydrogen from the oxygen and the hydrogen is the fuel source. Hydrogen is found to be able to cut through metals and seems to be a stupendous fuel source.

The inventor of the water car was an American who got bids from all over the world, including the arabs but he turned them all down. His life was threatened to not continue the process here in America, but he did until he made it work. He also gave NASA information. Then they killed him. The only reason why it's out now is because his patent ran out a couple months ago which gave everybody else the opportunity to work on it and make their own water cars.

Plus the instructions say you can get what you need off any auto store shelf for about $50.00. That's one reason why oil has shot up I'm sure, because they knew this is in the bag and about to be released so they are trying to make all they can for their oil before it becomes unneeded for vehicles anymore.

[Cellphonebraindamage]

Why can't the American auto manufacturers compete on this level? Shortsightedness? Lack of Talent? Ties to big oil? Do they need Obama in the white house before they get their bums moving? What a shame.... Go japan, i guess...?

[ebanks84]

They weren't given the opportunity because the Bush administration has stop forward progress of this American invention.

[Wilbur]

Why can't USA car makers compete? Arrogance, stupidity, machismo, ignorance, lack of vision, etc., etc., etc.

Wilbur

[Daly]

lack of demand; low hanging fruit to easy to resist; as long as SUVs were selling there was no desire USA car makers were focused on selling the largest gas gulpers here at home while Ford made a nice excort (for example) to sell in europe.

Just like USA selling oil to Mexico where San Deigo GOP rush to buy @ $2.60 gallon.

[ebanks84]

They haven't been allowed to by this administration of oil men.

[Cellphonebraindamage]

What has the administration done? Didn't Ford recently shut down 4 factories, killing 10,000 jobs? The market is speaking now and shareholders should fire all the ceo's of all the major american auto manufactur­ers.... like NOW.

[Nutcase]

Incompetence and concentration on the quarterly bottom line numbers.

[mono]

I don't know how much it is true. It seems GM had shown a Hydrogen Fuel cell prototype to Congress but that proposal was beaten at the floor by the congressme­n/senators because the lawmakers had/have vested interest in the oil companies and they never wanted that proposal to pass.

[Cellphonebraindamage]

Where's this story Huffpo??? Post the link somebody..­.. educate me porfavor, better late than never, Yaoming?

[Luigi53102]

GM is developing and testing fuel cell vehicles, and doesn't need any help from Congress to do it.

http://www.gm.com/explore/technology/fuel_cells/

[ebanks84]

Once the patent was free, anybody can work on them now. What has congress got to do with what GM does?

[Rumplestiltskin]

Good. Now the Hollwood environmentalists will have a great new car to pick them up from the airport after they exit their private jets.

[Wilbur]

Metamucil.­...bran muffins...­high fiber cereals. Try them, they work.

Wilbur

[ebanks84]

The technology can eventually lead to airplanes also.

[spiffarino]

He don't believe in them newfangled aereo-planes! He walked to school in snow both ways uphill and it were good enough back then, consarnit!

[wedgie]

Oh look. It's another snotty comment.

**

[YellowPanties]

Yes, we all have private jets. We fly them to work every day. Then the limos pick us up, not hydrogen cars, stupid.

[tkondaks]

The hydrogen-celled car is the favorite of President George Bush and, in addition to the horrible policy of corn ethanol, this is his favorite project.
But for hydrogen cars to become a practical reality, an entire distribution infrastructure has to be built at a cost of many billions of dollars across America.
There is already an alternative energy technology that exists today which has a distribution infrastructure already set up all across America. It's called the plug-in hybrid (which is a totally different fish than hybrids). Plug-in hybrids allow the car owner to plug in and recharge at home at night a battery in the car that is good for the first, say, 80 miles of driving. This is good for 90% of all car driving in America. And then for those days when one drives MORE than the 80 mile capacity, one simply converts -- while driving -- to the hybrid mode.
This is the future, NOT hydrogen cars.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

How about using the money we are spending in Iraq? One year of that expense will pay for this.

[spiffarino]

If Bush would stop outsourcing military jobs that were traditionally done by the military, the billions would already be available. Army chow might not have been the best tasting, but it got the job done had a fraction of the cost of private contractors.

[ebanks84]

I beg to differ with you. Water cars have never been a favorite of the bush administration because they are the oilmen.

[ebanks84]

That is NOT so. They have prevented this technology from day one.

[tkondaks]

Who is "they" and how have they prevented this technology from day one?
Please elaborate.

[PopulistPagan]

You may be correct about the hybrid electric cars, provided we use a renewable source of electricity to recharge the car.

But...this application will not work for the commercial market. Shipping of goods by truck, train, plane, or ship needs a long distance solution. Hydrogen has the capablility to answer these needs.

I also believe that hydrogen will be the answer to decentralizing our residential power grid. Homes will be able to generate their own power using an intergrated system of solar, geothermal and hydrogen. Any investment made in research and development of these technologies would greatly assist our economy, environment, and national security.

That being said I am still a fan of using hemp for fuel, and everything else.

[spiffarino]

"That being said I am still a fan of using hemp for fuel, and everything else."

I'm for the "everything else!"

[navarro]

There is already a distribution network in place. How do you think gas stations work? Just replace gasoline with hydrogen, modify the storage devices and pumps, and there you go. Not saying it would be cheap, but it's not like we have to build something from the ground up. Most of it has already been working for decades.

[DRaymond]

You make converting a gasoline station to hydrogen sound a whole lot simpler than it would be. In general it makes no sense, and quite a bit of hazard, to transport large quantities of hydrogen. More likely the hydrogen fueling station would in fact manufacture the hydrogen through separating water or refactoring natural gas or ethanol.

What Honda is researching to potentially solve the infrastructure problem is a home hydrogen manufacturing system using the home's existing natural gas supply. You would refuel overnight. Note that this system can hardly be considered 'zero emissions' since the refactoring technology produces C02 greenhouse gas.

[tkondaks]

I heard that just to modify a gas station for ethanol storage can cost $200,000.
What is it for converting to hydrogen storage/di­stribution per gas station?

[spiffarino]

You don't even have to replace gas stations, only add new storage tanks and hydrogen pumps to existing stations. Give each station operator a nice juicy tax break to do it and it'll get done in a few years.

Several stations in NC have added E-85 tanks and pumps. Hydrogen technology will be more difficult and expensive, but it can be accomplished with the right incentives.

Why not give the owner of the station a five-year tax holiday (or longer) and let him make a swell profit? He deserves it if what he's doing benefits the nation. Hell, it's patriotic!

[piquet]

I'm in...now we will see who has the true power in this country. Us or Oil and the pigs that profit from it.
Our entire focus should be on these types of technologies. Period. Not drilling in our delicate ecosystem to feed our gluttonous appetites.
And for those of you that aren't on board. It's time for you to step aside or get rolled. You no longer matter or count in the equation of evolution.

[tkondaks]

The oil companies are, first and foremost, energy companies. If people consumed cars that drove on cow poop, that's what they'd sell.
Oil companies make about 9% profit on every gallon of gas they sell you which is, by the way, far less than the government makes on each gallon in taxes.
And, by the way, oil companies aren't the ones consuming the oil and burning carbon...Y­OU AND I ARE. Silly to put the blame on them when all they are doing is making it available to consumers (and quite efficiently, I may add...when was the last time you had to wait to fill up your tank...30 seconds?) and consumers are the ones demanding it.

[deepintheheartoftejas]

You seem to have a little trouble with your math: 9% of $4 a gallon gas: 36 cents. Federal tax on gasoline: 18.4 cents, or 4.6%.

[Nutcase]

Get your numbers right.

Federal tax is 18.4 cents per gallon. At $4.00, that works out to 4.6%. That 9% profit number you use is also incorrect. The ability to manipulate the numbers for international conglomerates makes it almost impossible to come up with the real numbers.

The oil companies paid out good money to kill off the electric cars of the early 20th Century. They made it realistically impossible for those you blame (US) to use alternative fuels. Silly to blame everyone except the oil companies. When was the last time you had to wait in line for a Hershey Bar?

[ebanks84]

That's exactly why oil companies do not want to see a WATER car come along.

[DEAFPERCEPTION]

That's just flawed logic, blaming this on the consumer. What the hell are we supposed to do with the oil, put it in glass jars and stare at them? What other alternative energy sources are readily available to us besides oil?

So let me get this straight, you think that the oil companies are the VICTIMS here because you claim they only make 9% profit per gallon? Oh, and don't forget about the GREEDY consumers who absolutely MUST have oil! No, we tried giving them electricity, but the consumers put their foot down and said "Oil or nothing!" Can you believe how greedy they are? Despite the fact that oil is readily available (30 seconds you claim!).

OK great. Did I miss the punchline? Seriously.­..

[ecksman]

u started off making a good comment, but u failed to mention the incredible amount of money and influence big oil has lobbying in washington. do i have to mention that the top people in big oil met with dick cheney in a closed door meeting to develop this administrations energy policy?? this isn't the american's fault. we need our government to setup an alternative energy infrastructure ... also we need to give the incentives to those pursuing alternative energy and eliminate the tax breaks and subsidies for the oil companies.

[ebanks84]

If they allow it to come to this country. Until this administration leaves, I don't know.

[ShockedSHOCKED]

While Honda discontinued the hybrid Accord and the Insight before $4 gas appeared, their hybrid Civic is very popular. If you get one by the end of June, you can still claim a $1000 federal tax credit.

I got one 2 months ago and am getting 44-45 mpg with good performance in what is pretty much a standard Civic. As long as you are < 6 ft tall and not seriously overweight, this may be a good everyday car for you.

[WAstateliberal]

Or you could get a Prius, which gets 45-48 mpg and fits my 6'3", 220 lb. hubby without any difficulty. I am not dissing the Civic, by the way. Just offering an alternative suggestion for those who are bigger/taller. We love ours. Used to have a Volkswagon that my husband hated for its lack of comfort. He could sleep in our Prius, it is so comfy.