You will remember the first mobile phones, laughingly so large you couldn’t actually carry them at all. They would just about fit in a car and that was all. Today, they’re only the size they are so we don’t lose them on a daily basis. They could be far smaller.
So it is with automotive technologies. The first prototypes which used hydrogen as a fuel were completely impractical, as all the components required to make them move took up every square inch of cabin space bar the driver’s seat. You could only drive them on large open test tracks because you couldn’t see out of the passenger side window.
That was less than 20 years ago, and now we have the Honda Clarity. The styling is rather unconventional for European tastes, but that’s not its selling point. This is the world’s first production saloon to house the entire fuel cell stack and drivetrain in the space normally occupied by the engine and transmission. In other words, everything is under the bonnet so there are no compromises for the driver. Unveiled at the recent Tokyo Motor Show, the Clarity will go on sale in Japan next year. Honda has also promised there will be further news about its future in Europe at the same time.
A full tank of hydrogen will give you at least 400 miles, and the good news is that a fill-up takes just three minutes. But the elephant in the room is where to do it. There are currently just three hydrogen filling stations in the UK; at Heathrow Airport, Hendon in North London, and Honda’s factory in Swindon, Wiltshire. More are planned, but it’s the classic ‘chicken and egg’ situation; until there are more cars no one will invest in the infrastructure, and until there’s infrastructure no one will buy the cars.
Honda is one of five automotive companies that make up the HyFIVE consortium, creating a fleet of demo cars to highlight and promote the development, use and viability of hydrogen as the fuel of the future. Toyota is also involved, and is one step ahead of Honda because it has just launched a hydrogen car for sale in the UK. The Mirai is also not what you’d call pretty, but it can provide 300 miles of motoring where the only thing that comes out of the exhaust is water. The only compromise is a slightly smaller boot than you’d expect on a car of this size, and that it can only take four people compared with the Clarity’s five.
The Mirai isn’t a car that you’re going to see every day. Toyota reckons it will sell 30 in the UK by the end of 2016, though it will far more popular in America and Japan where the hydrogen infrastructure is more developed. There’s also the issue of price. It’s £66,000 to buy outright, but everyone will opt for the contract lease deal of £750 a month. You’d have to really want one, because that’s twice what you’d pay for a similar-sized petrol or diesel car.
The key thing to remember is that these hydrogen cars are coming. This is the thin end of the wedge and it’s going to be fascinated to watch the technology and infrastructure develop. They are the future… just don’t hold your breath.