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HONDA AFVM
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In August, the 14th to the 19th I visited Torrance, stayed in Torrance and was given a car, a Natural Gas Civic, from Honda to see;
1st, what it is like to drive an Alternative fuel vehicle in an area that has suitable infrastructure.
2nd, To drive the FCX Clarity in and around the city and on the HOV lane at speeds over 70mph.....
3rd, to drive the FIT EV in and around town in stop and go traffic and hare acceleration........
4th, to see just how to refuel a Hydrogen car, not very different then a CNG car.
5th, to see just how the technology worked.
Headquarters..........
I got off the plane on Tuesday 14 Aug, I took the Super shuttle to 1919 Torrance blvd, met my friends Eric and Steve. They set me up with my car, told me to drive it as many miles I wanted, told me "Put 5,000 miles on it if you want" I of course, the respectful guy I am, felt bad putting the 400 miles I put on it......It was dirty when I got it, when I returned it, I had it detailed at a local car wash, I just can't return something that was given to me dirty and with an empty tank......
So they took me to lunch, grilled me with questions about my thoughts on Honda.......I gave them my opinions along with others at a later time.......We ate Sushi at a place not too far from HQ.....They wouldn't even let me pay.......
FCX........
I found the FCX to be the most fun to drive. It was spacious, all the controls were just where you would expect them to be. What was very surprising was the over feel of the car. It felt as if it really was stuck to the road AND, it was being moved forward at a pace of great acceleration......I was very impressed on how the gauge that told you if you were using electric or hydrogen worked. It was a meter that moved around the speedo and the green would represent the electric power and the blue was hydrogen..........
As I entered the 405, I didn't know what to expect and my friend Steve from Honda, who works in the FCX department, was instrumental in the design of the dash and how it is laid out along with the Navi system. I will not say what his job title is, was like HIT THE ACCELERATOR, YOU CAN GO AS FAST AS THE CAR WILL ALLOW< GO! GO! GO!.......I was like OK, and this car took off like a rocket.......I was at 75mph in no time (Sorry Blue BMW, didn't mean to blast in front of you like that.......) and I was going 75 80mph for a good 5 miles, it was SO quite and smooth......It is for sure a car I will have in the next 6 years....Some how some way.....
It handled the off ramp like a champ, the tires squealed a bit, but as expected......the ride was smooth, but you felt the road......the dash was lite up like a slot machine after you won the Jack Pot!!!!. green, blue.......the sweet voice from Jill in the Navi.....LOL! VERY impressed......I was Honored to be able to drive this car.......I spent about 40 min. behind the wheel.....
FIT EV........
I was excited to drive this car, but it was not as nice as the FCX......It was nicer then a FIT to drive, but it was noisy and it seemed not to have the handling feel of the FCX, but I know they are 2 COMPLETELY different cars for different people.......It was nimble, quick and fun to drive, the dash was VERY cool and the seats, like the FCX, were comfortable.....I didn't get to drive it on the HWY, but it was a very quick car with that smooth electric torque of non stop power.......I was happy and somewhat impressed, but I am not an EV fan to start as everyone knows here anyway......but for an EV lover, it is the best ourt there. I drove the Mitz, the Leaf and Volt (what a JOKE that car is) and BY FAR, the FIT is the CLEAR WINNER!
Church Automotive Testing.......
Went to visit Shawn. Nice place, S2000's BMW's, Acura's, Mazdas......All sorts of cool stuff was there. Shawn took me out in his 500hp ++ S2k with a Super Charger in it and I think we need NASA to set launch........Lets just day it wasn't slow.....He then took me to a great Mexican joint on PCH we talked about Honda and other stuff, he was very nice and genuine as he is posting here. Thank you again Shawn. I also got a cool shirt out of the deal too, and he also didn't let me pay......
2013 Accord & Civic.......
I never got the chance to see the PHEV Accord, it was being tested and It was not going to be around......BUT, as I was driving a Honda car, I was able to poke around the HQ parking lot and go in areas that I could have said.OH, I made a wrong turn.......I saw the Civic and Accord in person, parked there......I didn't get out, there are cameras everywhere and security is like the CIA.......I backed into a parking spot, and when I put the car in reverse, there was NO security around, when I put it in park and got out, the security was blocking me in and he said " SIR, you HAVE to pull in nose 1st, TURN AROUND!" So with out any question, I did what he said......
The Civic does look different, but the same in many ways, but it is a BIG change.....I am not going to go into detail because of the trust issue....but it was all fixed the way it should have been......The Accord looks STUNNING in person, ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!! And that is all I have to say, the pictures don't do it Justus.......
PICTURES.............
Steve and Eric
Eric and me with my car......
Me after refueling, ready for take off!!!
A very happy Andrew......At Shell Oil Hydrogen Fueling Station...Can you say "BIG HYDROGEN"!!!!
WTF, a Toyota Highlander Fuel Cell??? What's he doing here?
Shawns S2k........
Church logo.......
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atomiclightbulb
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Thanks for the writeup! It was a nice read.
HONDA AFVM wrote:
I found the FCX to be the most fun to drive. It was spacious, all the controls were just where you would expect them to be. What was very surprising was the over feel of the car. It felt as if it really was stuck to the road AND, it was being moved forward at a pace of great acceleration......I was very impressed on how the gauge that told you if you were using electric or hydrogen worked. It was a meter that moved around the speedo and the green would represent the electric power and the blue was hydrogen..........
As I entered the 405, I didn't know what to expect and my friend Steve from Honda, who works in the FCX department, was instrumental in the design of the dash and how it is laid out along with the Navi system. I will not say what his job title is, was like HIT THE ACCELERATOR, YOU CAN GO AS FAST AS THE CAR WILL ALLOW< GO! GO! GO!.......I was like OK, and this car took off like a rocket.......I was at 75mph in no time (Sorry Blue BMW, didn't mean to blast in front of you like that.......) and I was going 75 80mph for a good 5 miles, it was SO quite and smooth......It is for sure a car I will have in the next 6 years....Some how some way..... |
I am curious about Honda's future plans for the FCX. Did Honda's people say anything about when the technology would be ready for mass market? For all of Honda's product problems since 2008, the FCX Clarity has been a real bright spot in Honda's portfolio due to its powertrain innovation, superb handling, and quality interior.
So few have been leased that it may be the most exclusive car in America. I wish it was more widely available.
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xBeastx
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atomiclightbulb wrote:
Thanks for the writeup! It was a nice read.
HONDA AFVM wrote:
I found the FCX to be the most fun to drive. It was spacious, all the controls were just where you would expect them to be. What was very surprising was the over feel of the car. It felt as if it really was stuck to the road AND, it was being moved forward at a pace of great acceleration......I was very impressed on how the gauge that told you if you were using electric or hydrogen worked. It was a meter that moved around the speedo and the green would represent the electric power and the blue was hydrogen..........
As I entered the 405, I didn't know what to expect and my friend Steve from Honda, who works in the FCX department, was instrumental in the design of the dash and how it is laid out along with the Navi system. I will not say what his job title is, was like HIT THE ACCELERATOR, YOU CAN GO AS FAST AS THE CAR WILL ALLOW< GO! GO! GO!.......I was like OK, and this car took off like a rocket.......I was at 75mph in no time (Sorry Blue BMW, didn't mean to blast in front of you like that.......) and I was going 75 80mph for a good 5 miles, it was SO quite and smooth......It is for sure a car I will have in the next 6 years....Some how some way..... |
I am curious about Honda's future plans for the FCX. Did Honda's people say anything about when the technology would be ready for mass market? For all of Honda's product problems since 2008, the FCX Clarity has been a real bright spot in Honda's portfolio due to its powertrain innovation, superb handling, and quality interior.
So few have been leased that it may be the most exclusive car in America. I wish it was more widely available.
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I header the FCX cost like $1 million USD to produce, so maybe that answers your question haha...but maybe it was exaggeration.
HONDA AFVM, you are one lucky dude. I hope to be as 'exclusive' as you someday. May I ask how you have your association with Honda? :)
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P54
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Why can't Honda make the FCX an exclusive hybrid car for now? By the time hydrogen cars will be available to the public I guess this FCX design will be replaced with something else, so why not designate a hybrid with the current FCX?
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superchg2
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Sounds like you had a good time, Andrew!
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xBeastx
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Woops, I meant "believe" on my last post. I have no idea how "header" got there instead.
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according2kev
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superchg2 wrote:
Sounds like you had a good time, Andrew!
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It sure does. Glad you enjoyed the trip and thanks for sharing.
I know you have to keep a tight lip about certain things but maybe you can answer this. Regarding the Civic's interior, were there revisions to the materials and styling or just materials only? Again, I understand if you can't answer.
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330R
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Wicked! Thanks for sharing, Andrew. Glad it sounds like you had a good time. I enjoyed your post. Gotta say the FCX is still an attractive car to me. The chrome treatment on the front bumper is dated now, but the rest is nice. But hey, for $600k I think we should expect the FCX to be quieter than the Fit EV. ;) So this Fit EV has multilink rear suspension, hmm? Did you pick anyone's brains about whether that's something that could be picked up by the CR-Z or a future Fit-based car? (it's inevitable more will come)
So when should we be seeing the 2013 Civic press releases & pictures? And while I see your trip to AHM HQ was focused on alt fuel vehicles, was anything hinted or divulged in the sports/sporty realm?
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HONDA AFVM
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xAbSoLuTexZeRo wrote:
atomiclightbulb wrote:
Thanks for the writeup! It was a nice read.
HONDA AFVM wrote:
I found the FCX to be the most fun to drive. It was spacious, all the controls were just where you would expect them to be. What was very surprising was the over feel of the car. It felt as if it really was stuck to the road AND, it was being moved forward at a pace of great acceleration......I was very impressed on how the gauge that told you if you were using electric or hydrogen worked. It was a meter that moved around the speedo and the green would represent the electric power and the blue was hydrogen..........
As I entered the 405, I didn't know what to expect and my friend Steve from Honda, who works in the FCX department, was instrumental in the design of the dash and how it is laid out along with the Navi system. I will not say what his job title is, was like HIT THE ACCELERATOR, YOU CAN GO AS FAST AS THE CAR WILL ALLOW< GO! GO! GO!.......I was like OK, and this car took off like a rocket.......I was at 75mph in no time (Sorry Blue BMW, didn't mean to blast in front of you like that.......) and I was going 75 80mph for a good 5 miles, it was SO quite and smooth......It is for sure a car I will have in the next 6 years....Some how some way..... |
I am curious about Honda's future plans for the FCX. Did Honda's people say anything about when the technology would be ready for mass market? For all of Honda's product problems since 2008, the FCX Clarity has been a real bright spot in Honda's portfolio due to its powertrain innovation, superb handling, and quality interior.
So few have been leased that it may be the most exclusive car in America. I wish it was more widely available.
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I header the FCX cost like $1 million USD to produce, so maybe that answers your question haha...but maybe it was exaggeration.
HONDA AFVM, you are one lucky dude. I hope to be as 'exclusive' as you someday. May I ask how you have your association with Honda? :)
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Actually $1.2 million dollars per unit......My association with Honda is from many years of aggressive interest in Alt Fuels. I have built relationships with many, visible and not visible (source/s)...... These two kind men have been friends of mine for 8 years and 15 years.........
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HONDA AFVM
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P54 wrote:
Why can't Honda make the FCX an exclusive hybrid car for now? By the time hydrogen cars will be available to the public I guess this FCX design will be replaced with something else, so why not designate a hybrid with the current FCX?
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You will see that in about 6 to 8 months, called the PHEV Accord......FCX DNA will be all over the PHEV........
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HONDA AFVM
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according2kev wrote:
superchg2 wrote:
Sounds like you had a good time, Andrew!
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It sure does. Glad you enjoyed the trip and thanks for sharing.
I know you have to keep a tight lip about certain things but maybe you can answer this. Regarding the Civic's interior, were there revisions to the materials and styling or just materials only? Again, I understand if you can't answer.
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Yes, Yes and Yes............
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HONDA AFVM
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330R wrote:
Wicked! Thanks for sharing, Andrew. Glad it sounds like you had a good time. I enjoyed your post. Gotta say the FCX is still an attractive car to me. The chrome treatment on the front bumper is dated now, but the rest is nice. But hey, for $600k I think we should expect the FCX to be quieter than the Fit EV. ;) So this Fit EV has multilink rear suspension, hmm? Did you pick anyone's brains about whether that's something that could be picked up by the CR-Z or a future Fit-based car? (it's inevitable more will come)
So when should we be seeing the 2013 Civic press releases & pictures? And while I see your trip to AHM HQ was focused on alt fuel vehicles, was anything hinted or divulged in the sports/sporty realm?
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Not at liberty to say at this point, but the talks I had, there are ears and they are listing.........The Accord Sport, although some might think it is an insignificant car, it is very significant.
There are plans in the works.
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330R
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There are pics of an Accord Sport over in one of the Accord news links on the front page. It looks really nice. The styling, wheels, dual exhaust finishers, it looks sharp. Someone mentioned the lack of a standard bodykit, but I don't think it needs it. Is there different suspension tuning, though? It would be nice if the PCM was tuned for better responses, too. That would be significant. Just thinking out loud.
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auto_enthu
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Nice info.
Thanks HONDA AFVM.
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hondadude
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Andrew, when will Honda release information and pics of the heavily refreshed 2013 Civic? I understand that it won't go on sale until sometime in November or December.
I truly hope the refreshed interior looks something like the beautiful interior of the 2012 Euro Civic hatchback interior. I'm sure that's wishful thinking on my part.
Thanks.
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sadlerau
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hondadude wrote:
I truly hope the refreshed interior looks something like the beautiful interior of the 2012 Euro Civic hatchback interior. I'm sure that's wishful thinking on my part.
Thanks.
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Having sat in that car, it is not really any better from a design viewpoint. Materials may be an improvement, but I found it less appealing than your model from a design viewpoint. The centre consul is too narrow, and space is lost with the side wing they have included purely for styling. Why would you have a wrap around cockpit style in a family hatch?? Especially one espousing economy over performance?
Nope, does nothing for me.
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superchg2
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hondadude wrote:
I truly hope the refreshed interior looks something like the beautiful interior of the 2012 Euro Civic hatchback interior.
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Here is the beautiful dashboard of the 2013 U.S. Civic. The steering wheel cover is optional.
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superchg2
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hondadude wrote:
I truly hope the refreshed interior looks something like the beautiful interior of the 2012 Euro Civic hatchback interior.
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Here is the beautiful dashboard of the 2013 U.S. Civic. The steering wheel cover is optional, and so is the air bag!
:)
Last edited by JeffX on 09-04-2012 14:04
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TheGandalf
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330R wrote:
So when should we be seeing the 2013 Civic press releases & pictures? |
I think that the whole Civic debacle and need of an early refresh was a nightmare for the marketing team at Honda, who now has to handle the info release of their 2 main products.
I think the reason we have not seen anything about the Civic is to avoid having to share the spot light with the Accord.
I think that as soon as the Accord is unveiled we will start seeing increased activity on the Civic front...
Then again, I could be wrong :)
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TonyEX
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(1) Sorry I missed you. That's our traditional time of the year to high tail it out of town. My wife has to deal with closing the books at the end of each month, so middle of the month it always is. We might have even done lunch us three... I think you could have parked right next to her... :-O
(2) My wife talked to a guy with a Clarity this weekend. The fellow lives in our neighborhood. Not get this.. THIS IS HIS SECOND LEASED CLARITY IN A ROW.... that so sucks.
(3) There are fuel cell Toyotas around too. I see one all the time in UCI. But, unlike the Clarity, I think they only go to very, VERY few folks.
(4) That's the new hydrogen station at 120th. Right across from.. Toyota Motor Sales.. ;-) You can also get hydrogen at UCI on Campus and Jamboree, in Irvine of course.
(5) Good to hear about the new Accord and Civic. They are being very tight lipped about it.
(6) So now you called it "THE 405"... Hey! Who knows? You even drove like a local... 80 mph. Sounds like you hit the freeway in the middle of day and didn't go up to see Randy's doughnuts. Pity, the Clarity is such a cool car, I would have loved to have been in it. So far all I got is lots of looks of it from the outside and no love from Torrance. (I was doing so good until I had to owe up to my wife's source of income...).
(7) You didn't say anything about the Civic GX. That was you in front of one, right?
(8) Jesus Slippers? Come on, at least wear sneakers and socks when testing a new car. That's probably why they took you OUT to lunch... they wouldn't let you inside the building. They've gone business casual but you were dressed for Disneyland! ;-D
(9) Really went driving around just like that? You can't drive into the R&D parking lot but still... BTW, I once made a turn and saw like 12 brand new ITRs in a row.. and not a single one was for us. :-(
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atomiclightbulb
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HONDA AFVM wrote:
Actually $1.2 million dollars per unit......My association with Honda is from many years of aggressive interest in Alt Fuels. I have built relationships with many, visible and not visible (source/s)...... These two kind men have been friends of mine for 8 years and 15 years.........
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Holy Moly that is expensive. Is this maybe Honda's first "exotic" car? I cannot recall a street-legal Honda ever being this expensive to produce...
I really wish Honda would have built a hybrid in a car that looks and handles like the FCX Clarity. The AC-X concept makes me hopeful, but that looks like it's 1 generation ahead of the 9G Accord.
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