Honda hints at shift from fuel cells

Honda Motor Co. appears to be changing tack to developing pure electric vehicles (EVs) because slow progress in setting up hydrogen fuelling stations could limit the sale of its fuel-cell vehicles, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Takanobu Ito said. It currently has a small fleet of FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicles on test in Japan and the United States. “I don’t doubt for a second that fuel-cell vehicles are the ultimate green car,” Ito told Reuters in an interview, noting that such hydrogen-fuelled vehicles achieved a driving range similar to that of petrol cars. “But the infrastructure for hydrogen is moving slowly, and there’s a possibility we won’t be able to get sufficient sales volumes [in California], even if we tried.” (October 3, 2009)