2017 Honda Clarity vs. Its Competition

John Voelcker

The only two hydrogen-powered rivals for the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell are the Toyota Mirai and the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell.

The Mirai, like the Clarity (and like the Prius hybrid) is a unique body style, which gives this bizarrely shaped model street recognition for those who want to be seen as early adopters.

The Mirai drives decently, rather like a normal hybrid gasoline car, although it's sluggish at higher speeds.

The Hyundai Tucson is an adaptation of the previous-generation of the compact crossover utility, and there's said to be a dedicated hydrogen SUV coming from Hyundai in a year or two.

The hydrogen Tucson is also well engineered, with ancillary whine and whir down to a minimum and good drivability—an indication that Hyundai has a strong commitment to fuel-cell technology.

Finally, the Tesla Model S is another zero-emission sedan in roughly the same price range, though it runs on a battery that's plugged into the electric grid to recharge.

Its Supercharger network of DC fast-charging sites lets the Tesla drive pretty much anywhere in the U.S.; the other three are effectively limited to California.

The Clarity Electric theoretically competes with a much wider group of electric cars.

While it's a comfortable mid-size sedan, it has less rated range than any of them.