The 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell has managed to claim a longer range than any electric vehicle in a move that could further infuriate Tesla’s Elon Musk.
In the past, Elon Musk has been extremely vocal about his criticism of the hydrogen fuel cell cars. However, the upcoming Honda Clarity comes with almost 366 miles of range – certified by the EPA – on just one tank of pressurized hydrogen. Most of the top electric vehicles have been able to claim a range of only 300 miles, which may be decent enough in the eyes of many, but it is completely overblown by the2017 Honda Clarity range.
At present, the only hydrogen powered car with a longer range is the Toyota Mirai, but even it gets blown away by the 2017 Honda Clarity by a clear 54 miles. The Tesla Model S P100D with ludicrous mode is seen as the pinnacle of innovation from Tesla and even this vehicle lags behind the new Honda by 51 miles. Going further behind, the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell trails behind the Honda by just over 100 miles in terms of range. These numbers are a major boost over the previous Clarity, which managed figures of 270 miles on a single tank of hydrogen.
The latest figures give a major boost to the 2017 Honda Clarity, but there are very few people who can lay their hands on the vehicle. Honda is expected to be extremely cautious about giving the vehicle to the masses. Only people who live within a 10 mile range of the nearest hydrogen filling station will be able to sign up for the 2017 Honda Clarity. This would only include people living in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. However, it does represent a great option for those people considering that the vehicle will cost less than $60,000 or $500 per month.
At present, Honda’s insistence on limiting the customers to this region may be the hindering point as Tesla is available for sale throughout the United States. It should be remembered that the EPA ratings are not real world conditions. Customers of the previous Honda FCX Clarity were able to manage around 200 miles – or around 70 miles lower than the ratings. One of the primary reasons for the extended range is the vehicle now being capable of storing hydrogen at twice the pressure compared to the previous generation model.