LATER this year a few lucky drivers will have the chance to experience a car that represents the holy grail of green motoring – a zero-emissions vehicle. The Honda FCX Clarity may not look much different from any of the company’s other medium-size cars but it is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and the only emission from its engine is water.

It is not the first zero-emissions vehicle – there have been plenty of electric cars and fuel-cell buses have been tried in several cities, including London, where plans are now being laid for a much bigger trial. But Honda is convinced that the Clarity is the closest it has yet got to marketing a zero-emissions vehicle that will do all the things the average motorist wants – at least in California, where the first ones will be leased. That is to say it will have performance and carrying capacity comparable to conventional cars of its class, and a range of 270 miles on one tank of fuel. General Motors is expected to announce a similar trial in Washington this month, using a fuel cell-driven version of the Chevrolet Equinox utility vehicle.

Click here (http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/features/article3251143.ece) to read the entire Honda FCX Clarity story from Times Online (UK)

By Alan Copps