You will remember the first mobile phones, laughingly so large you couldn\u2019t actually carry them at all. They would just about fit in a car and that was all. Today, they\u2019re only the size they are so we don\u2019t lose them on a daily basis. They could be far smaller.<\/p>\n
So it is with automotive technologies. The first prototypes which used hydrogen as a fuel were completely impractical, as all the components required to make them move took up every square inch of cabin space bar the driver\u2019s seat. You could only drive them on large open test tracks because you couldn\u2019t see out of the passenger side window.<\/p>\n
That was less than 20 years ago, and now we have the Honda Clarity. The styling is rather unconventional for European tastes, but that\u2019s not its selling point. This is the world\u2019s first production saloon to house the entire fuel cell stack and drivetrain in the space normally occupied by the engine and transmission. In other words, everything is under the bonnet so there are no compromises for the driver. Unveiled at the recent Tokyo Motor Show, the Clarity will go on sale in Japan next year. Honda has also promised there will be further news about its future in Europe at the same time.<\/p>\n
A full tank of hydrogen will give you at least 400 miles, and the good news is that a fill-up takes just three minutes. But the elephant in the room is where to do it. There are currently just three hydrogen filling stations in the UK; at Heathrow Airport, Hendon in North London, and Honda\u2019s factory in Swindon, Wiltshire. More are planned, but it\u2019s the classic \u2018chicken and egg\u2019 situation; until there are more cars no one will invest in the infrastructure, and until there\u2019s infrastructure no one will buy the cars.<\/p>\n
Honda is one of five automotive companies that make up the HyFIVE consortium, creating a fleet of demo cars to highlight and promote the development, use and viability of hydrogen as the fuel of the future. Toyota is also involved, and is one step ahead of Honda because it has just launched a hydrogen car for sale in the UK. The Mirai is also not what you\u2019d call pretty, but it can provide 300 miles of motoring where the only thing that comes out of the exhaust is water. The only compromise is a slightly smaller boot than you\u2019d expect on a car of this size, and that it can only take four people compared with the Clarity\u2019s five.<\/p>\n
The Mirai isn\u2019t a car that you\u2019re going to see every day. Toyota reckons it will sell 30 in the UK by the end of 2016, though it will far more popular in America and Japan where the hydrogen infrastructure is more developed. There\u2019s also the issue of price. It\u2019s \u00a366,000 to buy outright, but everyone will opt for the contract lease deal of \u00a3750 a month. You\u2019d have to really want one, because that\u2019s twice what you\u2019d pay for a similar-sized petrol or diesel car.<\/p>\n
The key thing to remember is that these hydrogen cars are coming. This is the thin end of the wedge and it\u2019s going to be fascinated to watch the technology and infrastructure develop. They are the future\u2026 just don\u2019t hold your breath.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"