Honda isn’t having any trouble squeezing the most driving range from the most abundant element in the universe, even if Tesla’s Elon Musk has assessed claims for hydrogen fuel-cell cars as nothing more than “bullsh*t.” The 2017 Honda Clarity boasts an EPA-estimated 366 miles on a single tank of pressurized hydrogen gas, more than any battery-electric vehicle can claim.
Only a couple of hundred Californians will be able to confirm Honda’s claims when this fender-skirted sedan goes on sale this winter for less than $500 per month, or $60,000. Honda is very picky about who can sign up for the Clarity: only those living or working within 10 miles of a hydrogen fueling station (the Bay Area and greater Los Angeles, essentially) will get the keys. By comparison, it’s easier to get into a Ford GT or a rent-controlled Manhattan apartment.
As lab numbers go, the Clarity’s range bests that of the hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai by 54 miles and the Tesla Model S P100D—the most powerful Tesla thus far, and until now, the longest-lasting EV—by 51 miles. The Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell comes in 101 miles behind. The new Clarity’s range is also well beyond that of the previous FCX Clarity’s 270-mile claim. That’s not really an apples-to-apples comparison, though, because the earlier model came before EPA had standardized how it measures electric driving range for all EVs. In our own test with a 2009 Clarity, we could muster only 194 miles.
Honda’s latest fuel-cell car stores fuel at 10,000 psi—twice the pressure used in the first FCX Clarity—so it compresses far more hydrogen into a similarly sized space. The claimed fill-up time of between three and five minutes, compared with the nearly nine minutes we recorded in 2009, would be similarly refreshing if it proves out in testing. Toyota’s “Fueled by Bullsh*t” ad campaign has already taken Musk to task. As the limited marketing area demonstrates, issues with infrastructure and fuel availability still hamper progress, but Honda is making real strides in the development of a useful fuel-cell car.
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