2 min read

Honda turns it up to 11

Hydrogen carGrowing up, Greenbang loved the rocumentary This is Spinal Tap. After the film’s famous quote about the amp going up to 11: “Well, it’s one louder, isn’t it? It’s not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You’re on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you’re on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?,” there was a launch of a series of amps going that high. Greenbang even has one.

And the band has, 24 years later, become a trend setter once more. The band’s Christopher Guest will own one of the first five Honda FCX Claritys. The car is powered by an electric motor and uses a fuel cell stack so emits no CO2. Honda cite a 280 mile range and 72 miles per kg-H2.

According to Honda:

The film producer Ron Yerxa will take delivery of the first FCX Clarity in July. The remaining four early adopters for Honda’s next-generation fuel cell vehicle are author and actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her filmmaker husband Christopher Guest; business owner and car enthusiast Jim Salomon; actress Laura Harris; and Jon Spallino, already the world’s first retail fuel cell vehicle customer, who has been leasing the current generation FCX since 2005. Yerxa, Harris and Spallino attended the event in Japan.

Honda will also be creating the ‘first ever fuel cell vehicle dealership network’ made of three southern California dealerships. Each is located in close proximity to hydrogen refueling stations and will be well-positioned to support Honda’s growing base of FCX Clarity customers.
As per the press release:

American Honda is working with its dealer partners to implement processes for fuel cell vehicle lease, delivery and service support for the duration of their leases. Establishing a dedicated sales network and service infrastructure provides customers with the best balance of convenience and the highest quality of service. When the FCX Clarity requires periodic maintenance, customers will simply schedule a visit with their local FCX Clarity dealer.
American Honda will perform all required work at its specialized fuel cell service facility, in the greater Los Angeles area. Upon completion of the work, the dealer will return the vehicle to the customer.