IRS approves Honda FCX for $12,000 tax credit
The Honda FCX fuel cell-powered car is now eligible for a $12,000 tax credit from the Internal Revenue Service. The FCX was the first fuel cell car available for lease in the United States and they've been running on public roads since 2002. The Honda-developed fuel cell stack in the FCX has the capability to start and run at temperatures as low -20C and uses ultra-capacitors to store energy from regenerative braking and provide extra thrust for acceleration.
[Source: Honda]
The IRS announced in July that the hydrogen-powered Honda FCX fuel cell vehicle became eligible for the Qualified Fuel Cell Motor Vehicle Credit program. The credit is part of the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005, which seeks to promote affordable, dependable and environmentally-sound production and distribution of energy for America's future.
Propelled by electricity that is generated by a hydrogen fuel cell in conjunction with an advanced Honda-designed ultracapacitor, the FCX fuel cell vehicle's only emission is water vapor.
"This tax credit helps offset the higher costs associated with the early development of advanced technology vehicles that reduce CO2 emissions and dependence on oil. It is a further validation that the FCX is a real vehicle and another step towards market viability" said Stephen Ellis, Fuel Cell Vehicle Marketing Manager at American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
In public use since 2002, the FCX is part of a long line of Honda vehicles developed to reduce the impact of transportation on the environment. The FCX is powered by Honda's originally developed fuel cell stack (Honda FC Stack) with the breakthrough capability to start and operate in freezing temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius, along with increased performance, range and fuel efficiency compared with earlier models.
The FCX is the only fuel cell vehicle certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and U.S. EPA. The CARB and EPA have also certified the FCX as a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) and the EPA has confirmed a range of 210 miles. With seating for four people, the FCX is practical for a wide range of real-world applications, allowing placement of over 15 vehicles on the road in the hands of customers, including the cities of Los Angeles; San Francisco; Las Vegas; Chula Vista, California; the California South Coast Air Quality Management District and the state of New York.
In 2005, Honda was the first to lease a fuel cell vehicle to an individual customer with a second customer added in 2007. Additionally, the Honda FCX is the only fuel cell vehicle fully certified to meet the applicable federal government crash safety standards. Honda undertook fuel cell research in 1989 and has been road testing vehicles in the United States since 1999. Honda has also been a member of the California Fuel Cell Partnership since 1999.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joseph 6:16PM (8/12/2007)
WHAT???
Electric cars never got this credit!!! They got a measley 3 grand compared to this!!!
You could say it is because the times are different (gas prices, terrorsim ect.) but really the same applies because back in the 90s the electric cars were to save California's air, and now a ZEV is just to be overall green.
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rgseidl 12:09PM (8/09/2007)
Proof positive that fuel cell cars make no economic sense: the government has to subsidize each one by an amount large enough to by a second, conventional one of similar size.
Nuclear ueber alles indeed.
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steven 12:29PM (8/09/2007)
Actually, the $12,000 is to allow you to tow the car around the country looking for a place that has a hydrogen filling station.
Where are the parachutes?
What parachutes?
Well, for emergencies. How do you get out of here quickly?
Jump!
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Tim 12:58PM (8/09/2007)
This is another case of corporate welfare since only fleet operators will be able to refuel H2 vehicles. It’s not fair and it won’t make the planet well.
Of course, let's talk about:
1) Continued fossil fuel addiction through hydrogen production.
2) Non-renewable nuclear power to produce hydrogen.
3) Electricity is 4X MORE efficient than Hydrogen.
4) Spending $Trillions on an all new (and unnecessary) infrastructure.
Here Piggy, Piggy....
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Chris M 3:20PM (8/09/2007)
Well, 12K x 15 vehicles is only $180,000. For the federal government, that's pocket change.
I'm wondering if this is for "purchase only", since these vehicles were only offered for lease. The other hybrid and EV tax rebates were for purchase only. Hmmm... Maybe Honda is planning to sell these as "used", and this will help bring the cost down from "impossible" to merely "extravagant".
What is really irritating is this government largess goes to a few corporate fleets and perhaps a few very wealthy car collectors, while a pittance goes to support the much more efficient and far more common battery electric cars.
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mike 5:15PM (8/09/2007)
Is this the first step of the auto industry Shoving down our throats the Hydrogen Monopoly for the Oil Industry?
It's time oil company shareholders DEMAND the oil industry start to move into bio-diesel, wind and solar.
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A.Brien 12:03AM (8/10/2007)
This is the most green car there is on the planet that is made from a big corporation. The other ones are the cars we see in youtube that are hydrogenize with on-board electrolyzers. Hydrogen can be made with windmills or solar panels that do water electrolysis so there is no pollution. It is possible now to run a car with no pollution at all and for few money. A water electrolyzer can be install at home or at a service station and power by solar or windmill or the grid if there is a lot of production volume. Im proud of honda. Next step
is to add a water tank with an onboard electrolyzer.
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rgseidl 6:11AM (8/10/2007)
@ A. Brian -
have you considered working in stand-up comedy? Because you obviously have no clue about economics or energy politics.
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LaughingTooHard 11:53AM (8/10/2007)
OK so maybe I am a bit behind on my Hydrogen economics but, if the owner of a fuel cell vehicle used hydrogen produced by wind, geo, or solar how is that bad?
I will admit that most of lame brained nationwide hydrogen extraction/refilling plans I have read about are laughable at best, criminal at worst.
Small scale Biodiesel and E85 production is being offered (if not used) so why not 5Kw of Solar to make hydrogen for the family car?
As for me I am more pissed they are offering $12K tax credits for the rich, who are the only people who can afford fuel cell cars now. Like the Actors or Big Wigs who were invited to buy one need a freaking tax credit.
I say screw them, let them wealthy pigs buy Honda stock if they want a return on their investment.
Use that $12K to buy a family at the poverty level fuel efficient car so they can have reliable transport to their minimum wage job. I know I am Karl "Freaking" Marx...don't care, kiss it.
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