This morning we have good news and bad news. The good news is, the massive recall of Takata's fatally flawed airbags is continuing. The bad news is, the recall is as complicated as ever, and it's going to take years to complete. (For quick a recap, click here.) Today, Honda--formerly known as...Read More»
Will hydrogen really be the fuel of the future? Honda thinks it might, so it's putting down some serious money to develop its second fuel-cell powered production car--but it's also hedging its bets for electric cars and plug-in hybrids at the same time. We got our first look at the Clarity at...Read More»
Rumors began circulating back in February, and now they've been confirmed by the automaker: America's first hybrid, the Honda Insight, is dead. It's not like we didn't see it coming. Compared to its closest rival, the Toyota Prius, the Insight's sales stats have been deeply underwhelming. Last...Read More»
Are you already over electric cars? Do you find Tesla a bit ho-hum? If so, here's something to perk you up: according to a report in Nikkei, Honda and Toyota both plan to roll out hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and the cars are on-target to hit showrooms next year. The fact that both Japanese...Read More»
While much of America's attention this weekend was focused on a certain football game, for a handful of film buffs and car fans, the center of the known universe was the Sundance Film Festival. That's where Honda unveiled the latest short in its "Dream the Impossible" film series -- this one dubbed...Read More»
Gearheads and their tech cousins, propellerheads, often run in the same circles. Both are possessed by a love of tinkering, futzing, and generally crafting bits of metal and plastic into useful and/or awesome stuff. Honda's (NYSE:HMC) research team is no exception to the rule, being known not only...Read More»
Back in August, Viknesh Vijayenthiran reported on rumors that Honda would launch a zero-emission battery electric vehicle in the US by 2015. The vehicle in question was described as a lithium-ion battery-powered minicar, and there was some speculation that Honda would unveil a prototype at the...Read More»
The 2010 Toyota Prius is again the most fuel-efficient performer in the U.S. market, at 50 mpg Combined, while runners-up include the 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid (42 mpg), Honda Insight (41), Ford Fusion Hybrid (39), and Mercury Milan Hybrid (39). That's the official word from the 2010 EPA Fuel Economy...Read More»
Since the Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell vehicle launched over a year ago, it's gotten a good bit of coverage here at TCC, even though there are only about 10 models on the highways of America and Japan. That's a long way from Honda's goal of leasing 200 units in the Clarity's first three...Read More»
Mercedes-Benz is joining the fuel cell crowd: the company has announced plans for its first series-produced fuel cell vehicle, called the B-Class F-CELL. (MB alluded to the vehicle back in January at the Detroit Auto Show, but this makes it official.) The F-CELL will be available in the U.S. and...Read More»
An interesting article in the New York Times suggests that Toyota -- the same Toyota that's often considered to be at the forefront of the green car movement, thanks to its popular Prius hybrid and all those eye-popping, folksy TV ads you've been seeing -- is slipping in the race to bring fully...Read More»
Earlier this year we got the chance to drive the production 2009 Honda FCX Clarity, which is the first publicly available hydrogen sedan. The FCX can't yet be considered a mass-produced vehicle. Looking at our test vehicle and its rough edges underneath, it was clear that the FCX is hand-fettled...Read More»
Early on an unseasonably warm morning this past weekend I was already getting some good seat time behind the wheel of a hydrogen-fueled 2009 Honda FCX Clarity. By the way, just remembering that there are only three of these fuel-cell sedans in existence, other than the seven that have already been...Read More»
To much of the general public, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles remain a novelty from a distant future. And hydrogen advocates haven’t done a very good job in demonstrating fuel-cell vehicles to those outside of Los Angeles or Sacramento. It might pique the interest of more than a few gearheads to see...Read More»
Just a week apart, two high-profile leaders put restraint aside and showed allegiances to particular automakers—in this case, Honda and Ford—for their green-car efforts. This past Wednesday, as California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke at a Shell station in Los Angeles, just after the...Read More»
The California Fuel Cell Partnership has announced a Hydrogen Road Tour 2009 event, aimed at informing the public about hydrogen-fueled vehicles. From May 26 through June 3, the tour will travel nearly 1,700 miles, from Chula Vista, California, to Vancouver, British Columbia. Twelve different fuel...Read More»
We get asked a lot of questions by friends and colleagues looking to buy cars and trucks, as we noted elsewhere this morning. But we also get asked a lot about future cars, especially hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. The standard question is either, "When should we expect...Read More»
Part Storm Trooper, part Vector W8--and all fuel-cell vehicle? Honda's showstopper at the Los Angeles auto show is the FC Sport, a sportscar that borrows the fuel-cell powertrain from the FCX Clarity and wraps it in a dramatically wedgy body that looks like Jerry Weigert's been given a day pass to...Read More»
No, she's not taking over in the Sarah Conner chronicles, although her award-winning androgyny suits a Terminator just fine. Hilary Swank is, like Jamie Lee Curtis, the new driver of a new hydrogen-powered vehicle. Swank seems to have gotten the better half of the deal; while Curtis and husband...Read More»
