AFVI 2008: A cringing lunch, courtesy of Honda
I've done you a favor. As part of the American Honda Lunch program yesterday at the AFVI Expo, comedian Matt Hovde was part of the entertainment. Before he took to the stage, I was kind of excited. I mean, he's part of Second City, and they're legends in the comedy business. So, what's my favor to you? I've split the audio from Hovde's routine from the clip of the other speaker during lunch: American Honda's vice president of corporate planning and logistics Dan Bonawitz. You can still listen to Hovde if you really want to, but don't complain to me if you find yourself groaning more than laughing
So, what did Bonawitz have to say? Like Larry Burn's presentation during the morning session, Bonawitz ran through some of his company's efforts to bring cleaner transportation to customers. The main focus Bonawitz talked about was hydrogen. Bonawitz said that American Honda sees natural gas-powered cars as a bridge to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Honda, like GM, is calling for more government help in establishing refueling infrastructure, but the lack of the infrastructure today isn't stopping the company from moving forward with deploying vehicles. The world's first fuel cell vehicle dealer network will kick into gear in a few months when the Honda FCX Clarity becomes available in parts of California. Honda has one of these production models on display here at the Expo, and you can check out some pictures of the car in the gallery below. The lighting in the Expo hall is terrible for photographs, but I hope some of the gorgeous burgundy color of the FCX Clarity is reproduced well on your monitor.
Aside from fuel cells, Bonawitz talked about other Honda clean tech like the new diesel Acura, new I-TEC engines and the Honda / RITE cellulosic ethanol partnership. Of course, we're certainly anxious to see Honda's new purpose-built hybrid car that will be unveiled next year and will carry a price tag below the current Civic hybrid. Bonawitz said that vehicle is still on the way, but didn't provide any more information. All I can say is I'm happy he didn't try to make a joke out of it.
Hovde (8 min):
Bonawitz (12 min):
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 3:34PM (5/13/2008)
Welfare sure is popular among giant international corporations. Greedy, aren't they...
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BillySharps 4:32PM (5/13/2008)
I almost get violently angry when someone starts talking about hydrogen. I'll consider hydrogen when batteries increase in cost by a factor of 10. Batteries can do everything hydrogen can at a fraction of the cost.
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Joseph 6:36PM (5/13/2008)
I cannot listen to the audio.
Instead of where I am supposed to click, there's just a white box with a red "x" in the corner.
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Peekoyle 9:45PM (5/13/2008)
1. How much will a FCX cost to buy/lease?
2. I don't need a car that big when will they have a more compact model?
3. Where can I get carbon-neutral hydrogen to refuel it?
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Sebastian 10:24PM (5/13/2008)
Joseph -
I believe that the red "x" is a sign that your flash player isn't up to date. Try installing the latest flash version and then clicking play. If that doesn't work, let me know.
Sebastian
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Chris M 3:07AM (5/14/2008)
Peekoyle: The Honda FCX Clarity will have a 3 year $600 per month lease, that will total $21,600. Of course, that isn't the cost of the car, it isn't for sale. Good thing, too, as only a billionaire could afford to buy it.
Honda hasn't mentioned any future H2 fueled models, and considering how rapidly the H2 hype is turning into the H2 fiasco, I suspect Clarity will the the last. The previous Honda FCX prototypes are smaller, but also has shorter range and less power and slower acceleration, and only a few were made, the chance of getting one for your own are nil.
Fillups with high pressure H2 are only available at a few special filling stations in LA and one in New York. H2 currently costs about $10 per Kg, according to a "lucky" fuel cell car driver, or about 15 cents per mile (compare that with 1 to 3 cents per mile for electric driving, or 6 cents per mile for a Prius). Honda has been touting their "Home Energy Station" that can make H2 from natural gas and refill the car at home, while also providing water heating. Cost for the Home Energy Station is about $50,000.00
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psarhjinian 11:06AM (5/14/2008)
Is hydrogen even close to being net-energy positive?
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