Clarity at last -- Honda FCX is production reality

We drove it in prototype form last year (more here), but Honda's state-of-the-art fuel-cell car -- known as the 'FCX Clarity' in its latest guise -- is now a production reality.

The first example of the FCX Clarity rolled off the production line on Monday (June 16), and Honda says that after 19 years of development, this 'real world' fuel cell car marks the beginning of a new era of cleaner motoring.

The FCX Clarity -- which emits only water from its exhaust pipe -- was presented to three of the first US customers in a line-off ceremony at the world's first dedicated fuel-cell vehicle factory: the Honda Automobile New Model Centre (Takanezawa-machi, Shioya-gun, Tochigi Prefecture).

Fully aware of the promotional value of Hollywood glitz, Honda has earmarked three of the first batch of cars to actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Harris, and film producer Ron Yerxa.

It's undoubtedly a lesson learned from the Toyota Prius, which garnered much free publicity from a veritable who's who of Hollywood celebs using them not only to trundle around Beverly Hills, but also to roll up to the Oscars.

Although the FCX is hardly a high-volume proposition, it represents a significant milestone for Honda, which has earned the status of the first carmaker to offer a fuel-cell vehicle for mainstream consumption.

Lease sales are scheduled to begin in July in the United States, and in Japan a couple of months later. According to Honda, the combined sales plan for Japan and the US will be approximately 70 cars per year, with a total of 200 units over three years.

In the US, customers will follow a three-year lease term, at a price of $640 per month, including maintenance and accident insurance.

You can read more about how the FCX works in our exclusive prototype drive story from last year, but at its heart is a fuel cell stack -- a device that uses an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) to convert chemical energy into electrical energy to power a motor that drives the car's wheels.

The FC stack simultaneously generates electricity and water, emitting no CO2 or other harmful emissions.

While the start of FCX Clarity production is a significant milestone for Honda, the company says its short-term focus is on the continued development of a low-emission, petrol-electric hybrid vehicle.

The Japanese carmaker will next year launch a hybrid car that's "so keenly priced, that more people around the world will be able to adopt cleaner motoring technology, thus significantly reducing global car emissions."

Watch this space...

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