emission, hydrogen fuel cell car rolled off a Japanese production line Monday. The company hopes this next-generation fuel cell vehicle will propel zero-emission cars running on hydrogen closer to the mainstream. The FCX Clarity, which runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water and none of the gases 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. The four-passenger sedan also has a driving range 30 percent higher than its predecessor. Japanese automakers are in a race to produce fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly vehicles amid soaring prices at the pump, spreading their bets on an array of technology including hybrid, electric and fuel cell automobiles. Honda is producing the cars at what it describes as “the world's first dedicated fuel cell vehicle manufacturing facility” in the town of Takanezawa in Tochigi prefecture north of Tokyo. Honda said it would set up the first network of sales dealers in the United States for fuel cell vehicles. Among the Clarity's first customers are Hollywood 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. Harris, Spallino and Yerxa were flown over to the ceremony, courtesy of Honda. “It's so smooth,” said Harris, who played villainness Marie Warner on the hit TV show “24.” “It's like a future machine, but it's not.” Yerxa says he's excited to show off the car and believes there's “a lot of interest in the car.” The Japanese automaker already has 35 previous generation fuel cell vehicles on lease contracts, mostly with Japanese and US public institutions. It hopes the new version will have more widespread appeal. “With the new model, we are shifting our focus to individual customers. This will be a real stepping stone to the consumer market,” said a Honda spokesman. The biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel cell vehicles are cost and the dearth of hydrogen fuel stations. Although Honda Motor Co. was the first Japanese automaker to launch a gas-electric hybrid vehicle in the US 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. The FCX Clarity is part of Honda's plan to compete keep pace with rivals in green technology. It 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. -
