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Who can really claim first mass-produced fuel cell vehicle delivery in US?

Last month, Hyundai said that the initial deliveries of the Tucson Fuel Cell vehicles in California meant that, "For the first time, retail consumers can now put a mass-produced, federally-certified hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in their driveways." But try telling that to Jon Spallino. In 2005, Honda leased a hydrogen fuel cell FCX, a small hatchback, to the Spallino family (as far as we know, he parked it in his driveway). The company did the same thing again in 2008 with the FCX Clarity, a sleek new design based on the FCX Concept, and others signed for the H2 ride as well, including celebrities. No matter how you slice it, Honda has been in the fuel cell delivery market for almost a decade now. Just look at this. Or this. Or this. Oh, and other automakers (General Motors in Project Driveway in 2006 and Mercdes-Benz with the F-Cell in 2010, for example) have delivered fuel cell vehicles in the US as part of short-term test programs. But let's get back to Hyundai's claim. There's little question that the first delivery of a "fuel cell vehicle for the US market" has already taken place (and they were federally certified, too), which means that the debate revolves around the definition of mass-produced and whether "mass production" is about a number or about the process? Let's investigate below. First, lets review Honda's bona fides. We can start with the official version of Honda's fuel cell history, which is missing the pertinent detail that Honda build the Clarity on a dedicated assembly line and established a small network of three dealerships to lease the FCX Clarity in 2008. All of the FCX Clarity vehicles in customer hands in the US were leased through these dealerships. Sure, Honda started with hand-built stacks in its hydrogen vehicles, but went to automated control of some parts and components with series production. "It is good to see others doing today what we've been doing since 2008" – Steve Ellis, Honda Or, as Honda's Steve Elllis put it to AutoblogGreen regarding Hyundai's fuel cell deliveries: "This was exactly as prescribed by the creation of the California Fuel Cell Partnership. It's the very essence of 'co-op-itition.' We at Honda, as do many others, continue to push forward on many technologies, both the battery and the fuel cell. And society is the beneficiary." Then he added, "It is good to see others doing today what we've been doing since 2008." Now, how does Hyundai compare?

Recharge Wrap-up: Honda Legend Sport Hybrid launching in Japan; driving cross-country on chicken fat

Honda will begin sales in Japan of the Legend Sport Hybrid SH-AWD in January. The Legend is Japan's answer to the Acura RLX Sport Hybrid sold in the US. Up front, the new flagship sedan uses a 3.5-liter V6 with cylinder deactivation and a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission with integrated electric motor. In the rear, a dual electric motor unit supplies power to the wheels. The three electric motors are also used for generating electricity during deceleration. The car has three drive modes, including EV Drive, Hybrid Drive and Engine Drive. The result is a fuel economy rating of 40 mpg, according to the JC08 cycle. Read more at Green Car Congress or in Honda's press release below. While Jay Leno explains how marketing early electric cars toward women caused them to lose out to internal combustion, the same can't be said about the current era of EVs. Leno says that early EVs, like Leno's beloved Baker, appealed to women because they were quiet, clean, and didn't require cranking to start them. This led to accessorization marketed toward women, causing men - who had more buying power than women at the time - to shy away from EVs. This time around, though, EVs target a broader audience in a different culture from the early 20th century. See Leno explain the early EV culture while driving his Baker Electric in the video below and read more at Hybrid Cars. GKN's two-speed eAxle allows EVs to make the most of both acceleration and top speed. Single-speed transmissions must sacrifice top speed for acceleration, or vice versa. In addition to improving performance at all speeds and increasing range, the GKN's eAxle also performs well in terms of NVH, providing seamless shifts and low gear noise. In order to package the eAxle in the BMW i8, the unit is just 12.8 inches by 22.1 inches by 12.3 inches and weighs 60 pounds. Read more at Green Car Congress. An alternative fuels researcher at Middle Tennessee State University will drive a truck powered by chicken fat biodiesel across the country. Professor Cliff Ricketts is driving a converted 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit pickup from Key West, FL to Seattle, WA to demonstrate the viability of chicken fat as a fuel. Ricketts admits, though, that the truck's exhaust stack is loud and smells like French fries. Read more at Domestic Fuel. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Honda to offer $184k street legal version of MotoGP racer [w/videos]

Fancy yourself a motorcycle racing talent on par with MotoGP factory riders like Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez? Have $184,000 to spend on a bike to prove it? Then get an order in on the Honda RC213V-S when the Japanese motorcycle maker begins taking global reservations on July 13. RC213V-S is designed to be the closest thing possible to legally riding Honda's two-time championship winning RC213V MotoGP racer on the street. Outside of the US, buyers can even spec an optional kit to make the bike track-only but raise the performance even higher. All versions use a 1.0-liter V4 and six-speed gearbox making 157 horsepower and 75 pound-feet of torque or over 212 hp and 87 lb-ft with the tuning package. That's not as much power as the Kawasaki Ninja H2R, but the Honda is a lightweight at 375 pounds for the street version or 353 lbs with the kit. In comparison, the factory racing example weighs just 348 lbs and produces over 235 hp. Being rideable on the road means losing some of the race bike's high-tech features, though. For maintenance reasons, the engine now uses coil-sprung valves, rather than the pneumatic units in MotoGP, and the seamless-shift transmission is replaced with a traditional one. Also there's some added equipment for legal reasons like lights, mirrors, and a muffler, plus useful things like a speedometer and starter. Honda has put out a few videos showing Marquez riding an RC213V-S and one opening up on track. Both are embedded below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. HONDA TO LAUNCH RC213V-S BY TURNING RC213V COMPETING IN MOTOGP RACES INTO A MODEL FOR PUBLIC ROAD RIDING 11/06/15 The RC213V is a machine exclusively for racing that has won consecutive championships in the MotoGP class of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (hereinafter called "MotoGP") in 2013 and 2014. Honda has made changes to some of the specifications of the RC213V, and will now introduce this as the RC213V-S. It is possible to ride the RC213V-S on public roads, and Honda will start accepting order entry for this new model on July 13, 2015. In 1954, Honda declared its intention of participating in the Isle of Man TT races, which were a part of the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix at the time.