A hydrogen-powered car is perfect for the environmentally conscious early adopter who wants a zero-emissions vehicle but doesn’t want to be limited by long recharging times. The Honda FCX Clarity is the main vehicle in question and can travel 240 miles on a single tank, quite a bit more range than the usual pure EV and its available right now. More hydrogen powered vehicles one the way from Mercedes, Toyota and Hyundai, although many of them are in the “pilot” phase where the manufacturer is gauging consumer reaction to test how viable they really are for the mass market. Recently, Toyota stated intent to deliver a hydrogen powered car to the public in 2015.
Hydrogen vehicles are like EVs that don’t need to be recharged via an electrical outlet. Instead they have an on-board hydrogen fuel cell, which converts hydrogen to electricity.The only by-product is water.
They also take about as long to refill as a regular gas tank. The catch is that there are very few hydrogen fueling stations.
Both the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 are plug-in hybrids capable of driving exclusively on electric power, albeit for short distances. They’re also extremely capable, with the Porsche 918 recently shattering the Nurburgring lap record for a production car. The Porsche is also expected to get about 72 mpg on the European fuel economy cycle, which is still outrageous fuel economy for any car, let alone the fastest one to run the “Ring.” Enthusiasts are also expecting similarly stunning performance from the P1, which succeeds the infamous F1. McLaren believes that everyday driving should net about 25 mpg.
