While I was at an alternative fuels conference last week, I stopped by the Honda booth to check out their electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) offerings. No joy.
You see, according to the handouts at their booth, hybrids are as close as Honda will get to EVs (at least publicly, for now). Honda is banking on natural gas vehicles (NGVs) and hydrogen fuel cells for their future plan.
I like the idea of more natural gas vehicles. The long-term Civic we had drove like a normal underpowered compact, and the fuel is somewhat plentiful and domestically produced (no nation-building required). I also drove the FCX Clarity and was amazed by the fuel cell stack technology and driveability, but using electricity to turn hydrogen into electricity is a bit of circular logic to me.
And I like hybrids a lot: with these you can have a larger vehicle that still gets decent fuel economy, with no disruption to infrastructure. However, a lot of petro fuel comes from countries that hate us. And though evolving, producing a long-life energy-rich battery that is well-adapted to the harsh vehicle environment still challenges.
So I like NGVs the best of the alternative fuel options, but they're dead: most people want hybrids, including plug-ins.
How about you? Any of these technologies appeal to you, or do you prefer good-ol' dino juice?
Albert Austria, Senior Engineer @ ~18,400 miles
Lackluster fuel economy is a common complaint about our long-term 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid. For the life of the vehicle, we've averaged just 23.1 mpg. Getting above 30 mpg from a tank is possible, but sub-20 mpg tanks are a more frequent occurrence on our fuel log spreadsheet.
Navigation systems are sort of like insurance; you don't use it very often, but when it comes into play, you're really grateful you have it. Both also happen to rather expensive. Honda charges a $2,000 premium to equip the 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid with navigation. Alternately, you can look at it from a financing perspective. If you buy an Accord with navigation and finance via a five-year loan, you'll be paying about $40 more a month...
