Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles At Your Honda Dealer: What These Cars Are, How They Work And What They Cost
When cars and trucks powered by alternative fuels such as biofuel came on the market, consumers were wowed by how they could help the environment by driving these cars. Then car manufacturers introduced the electric vehicles that recharged from plug-in stations, and consumers became even more excited by the environmentally friendly options in the world of driving. Now, Honda dealers and its competitors have produced a series of hydrogen-powered vehicles, and consumers are just starting to hear about these "jet engine-inspired" cars. Here is what these cars are, how they work and what you can expect for basic model costs.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Jumpstarts Electrical Engines
These new hydrogen cars are the bomb (pun intended). Essentially what occurs is that hydrogen is injected into an oxygen-filled space, which creates a chemical reaction and produces energy. The energy is harnessed and sent into the combustion engine to start the car, while an electrical car system operates simultaneously to keep the car going. The hydrogen is used in small batches only to start the vehicles, ergo you never need to worry about driving something that could spontaneously explode because there is not enough hydrogen injected to create a big enough power surge. Still, the science behind it would make Einstein smile.
Use of Methane to Create Hydrogen
Methane, the gas commonly found both underground and at the flatulating end of a cow, is completely renewable. Engineers are taking a common and toxic resource and turning it into something extremely positive by using it to create the hydrogen needed to power these vehicles. This is why manufacturers like Honda can promote their vehicles with a "greenhouse gas reduction" feature; the greenhouse gas they commonly refer to is methane, a problem incurred from the number of cows on the planet who flatulate all day long.
What a Basic Model Costs
Because of their effectiveness at turning a an environmentally toxic substance into hydrogen energy, you can expect that these cars are not cheap. You can expect a basic model to be on par with luxury vehicles and/or fully electric models from the same manufacturers. For example, the Toyota Mirai is a hydrogen-powered vehicle that starts at $57,500, and the Honda FCV hydrogen-powered vehicle is expected to fall within that same price bracket when it hits the markets in the fall of 2016. Still, when compared to standard gasoline vehicles, it can go farther on significantly less "fuel" and utilizes a lot of something that has been harming the environment for years, a claim that standard vehicles cannot make.
Contact a company like Canyon Honda for more information.
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