Honda FCX Clarity - Best Cars Of 2008
The first glimpse of Honda FCX Clarity was given in the year 2007 (Los Angeles Auto Show) and was made available for lease in the year 2008. However, in the initial times, only the residents of south California had the privilege of owning one. Further, as per the terms of the lease, it was required for the owner to live near one or more hydrogen filling stations. Despite this serious drawback, the car did find several takers because of its specifications and the after sales service being provided by the Honda Group.
To start with, the owners would have to pay installments of $600 per month for a period of 3 years apart from the hydrogen gas costs. On the other hand, the company would take care of insurance and maintenance charges. This went down well with a large group of people especially because of the insurance clause.
When talking about the exteriors, Honda FCX Clarity carried smaller wheels and newer bumpers which had a completely different feel and look about it. Overall, it is way different than what it was projected to be in the 2005 when it was only a concept car. The interiors can be defined as nothing but great. A cool digitized outlook adds to its glamour. Further, it is also eco friendly with bio fabric door linings and upholstery on the seats.
Technically, the engineers have put in a lot of work to make it what it is. FCX has the capability to travel 270 miles on a 5000 psi compressed gas storage thanks to the 10 kW V Flow fuel cell stack and a 95 kW electric motor. The marvel amongst all this is that this mileage is equivalent to 68 miles per gallon car! The fuel cell has the capability to start even at temperatures of -20 F and is the size of a desktop monitor and weighs approximately 400 lbs.
Honda has taken all measures to make sure that the car meets all safety and environmental pollution standards. Because of this, the owner also gets entitled to a $12,000 tax credit which comes to be very handy. Under the safety bracket, the car boasts of collision monitoring with a backup camera. Further, there is also a provision to know learn the traffic reports through a real time navigation system.
As already mentioned, after sales service available with this car is the highlight. Like all other vehicles, the owner is expected to bring the car to a Honda dealer. However, instead of being serviced right there, it would be taken to the special service center located near Los Angeles. After service, the car is sent back to the dealer from where the owner can drive it back home.
When the car was first launched, the company was not sure of the numbers that would be released into the market. However, its popularity with the masses made sure that the total produced amounts were far more than what they had expected to launch. It was truly one of the few cars that can be listed as the best cars of the year 2008.
