Jamie Lee Curtis to get one of first hydrogen-powered Hondas

Honda has begun the first commercial production of a zero-emission, hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicle -- and among the first ones to take delivery will be actress Jamie Lee Curtis ("Trading Places," "A Fish Called Wanda," "Halloween" etc.) will be among the first to take delivery.

The four-seater, called FCX Clarity, runs on electricity produced by hydrogen, and emits water vapor, reports the BBC. "Honda claims the vehicle offers three times better fuel efficiency than a traditional, petrol-powered car.

Honda plans to produce 200 of the cars, which are initially available only to lease, over the next three years. The cars will become available in July, and the first five customers are all based in southern California because of the proximity of hydrogen fuelling stations, Honda said.  (Giving one to Curtis is part of a continuing trend of automakers giving preference to Hollywood stars when passing out the latest new green technology, says the Los Angeles Times.)

One of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel-cell vehicles is the lack of hydrogen fuelling stations, the BBC noted. "Critics also point out that hydrogen is costly to produce and the most common way to produce hydrogen is still from fossil fuels. Analysis of the environmental impact of different fuel technologies has shown that the overall carbon dioxide emissions from hydrogen powered cars can be higher than that from petrol or diesel-powered vehicles.

--Craig Pittman

[Photo by AP]

 

Comments

[Chris]

Way to corner the market Honda.

Honda is becoming more American each day. $600 a month, well at that over inflated price tag we wont be saving any money. Its about the environment they say? Don't worry, Honda is just helping the Oil industry get another leg up on us. Soon they will be providing us with hydrogen fueling stations across the US. Whatever the price of gasoline happens to be at that will just continue right over to hydrogen as well. And do not think for a minute that ridding ourselves of gasoline and oil will cut 'Big Oil' companies out all together. They are watching and waiting, and they have the money to do whatever they wish.

I just hope Jamie can find a fueling station nearby, and pray her car never gets hit in the rear. The NHTSA is going to have a field day with these.