I mentioned the Honda FCX Clarity last week, a car you may not have heard of, but it’s an impressive performance machine. With 256Nm of torque available from zero revs, it’s quick off the mark for a big family saloon. The FCX (above) is not a wacky concept but a genuine production reality, albeit one that’s only available in Japan and America where it can be leased. It is the world’s first hydrogen car to achieve that status, and two examples are now based in Germany. It’s a smart-looking thing, though the hydrogen tank behind the rear seats means boot space is limited, and it’s got a typically hi-tech Honda interior. The only tailpipe emission is water, but the thing that’s most amazing about this car is that bar the whine of the air compressor, it’s totally silent. There are currently no plans to make the FCX available in Europe – we don’t have the hydrogen infrastructure that other parts of the world do – but it will come with time. There’s talk of setting up filling stations along the M4 from London to South Wales, so anyone driving that route could benefit. Once that happens other motorways will follow.
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