Cars that Say “Goodbye to Gasoline”
By Gunnar Lindstrom
 Few,
if any, automakers can say they have eliminated gasoline from any of their production
cars. But Honda can because of the natural gas Civic GX and hydrogen fuel cell
FCX – both fully-certified models that allow drivers to “say goodbye
to gasoline.”
Saying goodbye to petroleum imports is more important today than
ever. There is greater international demand for oil from places that may be politically
volatile. There is also increased concern for air quality and global warming.
The United States is experiencing its highest-ever gasoline prices at a time
when oil reserves are at an all-time low.
Honda has assessed what may be the best way to prepare for an energy future
very different than today. Through this process, Honda has developed a pathway
to a future that says goodbye to gasoline vehicle emissions and dependence on
oil.
The hierarchy of this pathway starts with ultra-efficient gasoline vehicles
that have best-in-class fuel economy and the lowest tailpipe emissions. Better
yet are hybrids, with very low emissions and even greater fuel efficiency, further
reducing the need for gasoline.
The compressed natural gas (CNG) Civic GX uses no gasoline at all and is recognized
by the EPA as the cleanest internal combustion vehicle, to boot. Natural gas
is a proven alternative transportation fuel that displaces more petroleum than
any other fuel today. This is accomplished primarily by city transit buses. Natural
gas is domestically abundant, produces fewer emissions than gasoline, causes
no groundwater contamination, and generally costs 50 cents to $1 less per gasoline
gallon equivalent. It is a winner all around and the perfect definition of an “alternative
fuel.”
Previously, the Civic GX was marketed exclusively to fleets. It is now available
to retail consumers in California. In late 2006, a number of New York dealers
will also start retail sales of the Civic GX.
Honda has supported the development and sale of FuelMaker’s Phill, a
simple gas appliance that can fuel a Civic GX overnight in a person’s garage.
Phill uses natural gas from a home’s gas line and compresses it directly
into the vehicle’s pressurized tank overnight. A driver can start every
morning with a full tank. Phill is a perfect complement to the 600 (and growing)
natural gas fast-fill refueling stations available throughout the nation.
Because of many operational and hardware similarities, the GX also serves
as a perfect bridge or pathway to hydrogen. In fact, the GX users of today are
the perfect apprentices for hydrogen tomorrow.
Honda believes that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will play an important long-term
role in our future transportation energy needs. Hydrogen is a carrier for energy
produced elsewhere. But unlike gasoline, hydrogen can be produced from various
sources. Ultimately, hydrogen should be produced from renewables to eliminate
all emissions, but today all hydrogen is viewed as a step forward.
The hydrogen-powered Honda FCX is the first fully certified fuel cell vehicle
in the world. To gain early experience, Honda has 20 FCXs deployed in real-world
operations in the United States, leased to government agencies and even one leased
to Southern California consumers, making them the world’s first hydrogen
fuel cell family.
Finding solutions to overcome the barriers that face hydrogen and fuel cells
will take time, and although Honda is committed to introduce the next generation
fuel cell vehicle in two to three years, it will likely be a decade or more before
fuel cell vehicles are widely available.
Honda’s hierarchy of energy choices offers the type of options that
will position Honda and its dealers for the future, whatever that future holds...allowing
all of us to say “goodbye” to gasoline and say “hello” to
a cleaner, more energy diverse future.
Gunnar Lindstrom is senior manager of Alternative Fuel Vehicle Sales and
Marketing at American Honda (www.honda.com).
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