Honda uses crazy marketing idea to raise awareness of hydrogen-fuelled car.
Feeling thirsty? The people at Honda will gladly give you a free bottle of nice cool water sourced from the hydrogen emissions from one of its fuel cell cars.
The Honda FCX Clarity is powered by a fuel cell that creates energy after a chemical reaction. That energy is sent to an electric motor that drives the wheels. The only byproduct of the chemical reaction is water.
Honda Australia claims the water from the car’s exhaust is so clean that it’s drinkable. It bottled the water from the FCX Clarity and placed them in a movie theatre for an audience of cinemagoers to drink.
Honda FCX Clarity is one of the first production hydrogen fuel cell cars. It has long been thought by some that hydrogen will be the fuel of the future. Hydrogen cars can refuel in a way that mirrors filling up a petrol tank. Unlike battery electric vehicles, hydrogen cars have a much greater range – in some cases, a range longer than petrol-powered cars.
And as demonstrated by Honda’s H2O brand, there are no polluting emissions, meaning hydrogen is more environmentally-friendly.
Hydrogen fuel cell cars are currently very expensive. Both Hyundai and Toyota have announced they will start selling their hydrogen fuel cell cars in California from 2015. Prices are expected to start from £100,000.
Critics cite a lack of refuelling stations as a significant barrier to hydrogen car ownership. According to ITM Energy, each hydrogen refuelling station will cost approximately £1 million to set up. London is expected to have six by 2016, as part of the UK H2 Mobility programme.
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