Honda and Toyota are two Japanese car manufacturers that everyone in the developed world has heard of. They are also among the leading manufacturers of vehicles with hydrogen fuel cell technology. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Honda and Toyota have experimented with hydrogen fuel cell vehicle models. Most of them remained in Japan while some were introduced in the United States as mere concept cars. This hydrogen technology took time to become popular since hybrid electric cars attracted more attention at the time. But now, the hydrogen fuel cell concept car is back and consumers seem to be interested in it.
Top 5 Honda Hydrogen Cars
Here are the top 5 Honda Hydrogen cars.
- 2007 Honda FCX Clarity – The 2007 Honda Clarity fuel cell experience was the company’s new fuel cell vehicle that was introduced in Europe, Japan, and Southern California. Europe had already begun to have hydrogen fueling stations at this point.
- 2016 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell – The 2016 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell was introduced to the Southern California U.S. market since the last Clarity model in 2008. Now, with more hydrogen refueling stations and dealerships to sell this vehicle, it allowed more people to become interested in buying it.
- 2002 Honda FCX – The 2002 Honda Fuel Cell (FCX) experience was one of the first fuel cell vehicles produced by Honda. When it was released in 2002, it was actually a hybrid vehicle, but it was still the first to show the true power of a hydrogen tank.
- 2014 Honda FCV Concept – The 2014 Honda Fuel Cell Vehicle concept showed American Californians what Honda was working on and what their fuel cell technology could do. It was only a concept car, but it led to the creation of their Clarity models in 2016 and 2017.
- 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell – The 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell is Honda’s latest fuel cell vehicle. In California, only 12 Honda dealerships are authorized to sell this vehicle model. Six of them are located in Southern California.
Top 5 Toyota Hydrogen Cars
Here are the top 5 Toyota Hydrogen cars.
- 2015 Toyota Mirai – The 2015 Toyota Mirai is one of Toyota’s most popular hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Priced at just $57,000, it is considered a luxury car and has since been sold in the northeastern United States.
- 2014 Toyota FCV – The 2014 Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle was a concept car that was first shown at the Tokyo Motor Show before being sold in the United States. It was only sold in areas where there were hydrogen refueling stations.
- 2005 Toyota Fine-X – The 2005 Toyota Fine-X, also known as the Fuel Cell Innovation Emotion-eXperiment, debuted as a concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show and then at the Geneva Motor Show.
- 2005 Toyota Fine-T – The 2005 Toyota Fine-T is actually another name for the Toyota Fine-X that was used in Europe and Japan. Both vehicles had very similar features and were among the first to introduce four-wheel steering in a fuel cell vehicle.
- 2002 Toyota FCHV – The 2002 Toyota Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle was the first hydrogen vehicle presented by Toyota. It was only available through a lease to a limited number of American drivers. The response was encouraging but it would only be sold years later.
Please Note
If you wish to purchase a hydrogen vehicle, you will need to research the locations of the nearest hydrogen refueling station. Since you can only drive in these areas, you will not be able to take your hydrogen car on long trips without a gas station. This is why Honda and Toyota have only selected certain dealerships to sell and lease these cars. They wanted to be sure that consumers could access these nearby service stations.