Posted on 11/14/2007 2:54:22 PM PST by Red Badger
ping!.....
Cool technology. Looks like an overturned turtle, though.
Kinda strange that Honda is taking the lead over Toyota on this. I thought their Chairman was kind of ragging on Hybrids as a cyclical fad a year or two ago.
I love my Honda Hybrid. I really hate these lease arrangements, though. They can take the car back without a purchase option, just like they did with their electrics a while back.
thanks, bfl
When they are as large as an American SUV with the same power, they will have something.
Is it a lease only option? You can’t buy to own?
Also where does one get their tank filled up with hydrogen?
Generally this vehicle will work from June through August in Fairbanks. Use in other months will be intermittent.
It seems that Honda is assuming all the risks inherent in a new technology, through the leases. It’s better to pay a flat amount, than assume an unknown amount of risk. Even if the vehicle worked perfectly, you’d be at risk for technological advances that could hammer the resale value. It’s likely that fuel cells will be more powerful, more efficient, more reliable, and cheaper in three years -- which would make older vehicles worth a lot less. Buy when the technology has matured a bit, and has a track record of reliability.
I was thinking the same thing. I probably live in the only area of Canada where it would work — at least without some sort of pre-heater.
Most customers wouldn't want to own. By the time three years have passed the technology would have moved on and this would be obsolete.
The hybrids have been working just fine year round though. Mileage is off just a tad when it is 40 below.
Presumably, the dealership will have a filling station. Other than that, your options will probably be pretty limited.
By coincidence, I live only a mile away from the Southern California Air Quality Monitoring Division office in Diamond Bar, which has hydrogen. I have no idea what it costs.
$600/mo is still a pretty pricey lease for an econobox, though. I could lease a Lexus RX400 hybrid for that.
Looks like some sort of large scale test.. Car looks okay.. I’d like to know the performance numbers.
Good for Honda.. But, chances are, this is all a PR campaign....
“Buy when the technology has matured a bit, and has a track record of reliability.”
Excellent Point on risk taking. That’s interesting.
My ‘03 hybrid in CA could be sold for almost what I bought it for. However, that’s mostly because it has those coveted diamond lane stickers on it. They only gave away 45k of them. They add about $4k or more to resale, or so I’m told.
That all sounds pretty logical.
But it cut no ice with all the cry babies when GM took back the GM EV1 at the end of their leases.
Hopefully, Honda will decide to continue with new models after this introductory vehicle and its lease-only aspect.
at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in Calif.
Why does this not seem like a good idea?
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