The current and future costs of owning a Hydrogen Car
Hydrogen cars are not what yet mainstream vehicles, but they are being leased by a number of companies, such as Honda, and their lifetime costs are lower than most people think. by Carter Brown
(libertarian)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
It has only been recently that companies such as Honda have been leasing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Most people think that they are incredibly expensive, which they are, but the truth is that they are not as expensive to run as most people think, and those costs are sure to drop quickly.
Costs are relative, the cheapest form of transportation is walking or taking the bus, or cycling, but for many people those options are not practical. Two other new technologies, hydrogen and electric vehicles are practical for a lot of consumers. Hydrogen cars and Electric Vehicles.
Battery electric vehicles are currently the most cost effective form of transportation, especially for users who travel 40 miles or less per day - about 80% of the US population.
Hydrogen cars, on the other hand, are believed to be something far off, that isunaccessibleto most people. They are expensive, but they are actually priced rather mid ranged. they do not cost hundreds of thousands of dollars do drive, and they are being leased today.
The Honda FCX Clarity, which is being leased in certain US markets goes for $600 per month for 3 year terms. Likewise, their next most environmentally friendly alternative, the Honda Civic Hybrid (fully loaded) will run $551 for the same term. Supposing a driver travels 15,000 miles per year, both cars have pretty similar lifetime costs.
The FCX Clarity will cost about $26,990 for three years, whereas the Honda Civic (it gets 40MPG) will cost $21,979.
Even more interesting is that those figures are based on current Washington DC compressed hydrogen and gasoline prices. ($8.18 per KG of H2, and $2 per gal.)*
Hydrogen will fall to as low as $3 per KG (Kropowski) once there is enough competition amongst sellers, and that would bring the running costs of the FCX Clarity to $23,576!, Furthermore the Civic Hybrid will be subject to the rising price of fuel as the effects of peak oil occur.
Are those two cars comparable in performance? who knows, but as far as Consumers should be concerned, the prices are pretty comparable, and there is a lot to say for that!
* I could only find current Hydrogen pump prices for Washington DC, and there is only one pump in that city.
-Sources
Kroposki, Ben. "Renewable Electrolysis Integrated System Development and Testing." National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 16 May 2006. Hydrogen.energy.gov, 4 November 2008.
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