Honda
is high on natural gas
Before I rip
on Honda, let me start out by acknowledging that Honda is
the greenest auto company in the world, and they deserve
kudos. Additionally, they produce excellent vehicles, and
the Honda Civic GX is the cleanest vehicle on the road and
it doesn't depend on foreign oil. Nonetheless, natural gas
vehicles are not going to take over the American
automarket, and anybody who thinks they will is just plain
silly.
Thus, John Mendel, senior vice president of automobile
operations of American Honda Motor Co., seems to have
inhaled a few too many natural gas fumes. "We'll do
hybrids as it makes sense, but I do not think they are the
best solution. Right now hybrids don't make sense
economically," Mandel was recently quoted as saying
as he expressed his vision that natural gas vehicles are
more important than hybrid
vehicles.
I don't even know where to start on this one. First,
natural gas simply isn't going to replace gasoline as the
new energy infrastructure. The savings simply are not that
great, and while Honda can sell home fueling systems, most
consumers simply are not going to buy into the concept.
Second, while natural gas vehicles do offer independence
from foreign oil, and burn cleaner than gasoline vehicles,
new technologies - particularly hybrid vehicles - could
easily outweigh every positive aspect of natural gas
vehicles. One significant upgrade in hybrid batteries ends
natural gas's cost effectiveness. Two upgrades and, well,
you get the point.
Third, the hydrogen economy is the future. While it will
probably take a few decades to achieve it, the hydrogen
economy will be built upon fuel cells and those fuel cells
will work in coordination with batteries. The hybrid
powertrain can evolve into fuel cell-electric vehicles and
help move the world entirely from fossil fuels. Natural
gas is a fossil fuel.
Fourth, Mandel states, "you can use the car pool lane
(in California)." Yes you can in the short term, but
don't expect this privilege to last, if sales start
numbering in the 1000's.
Additionally, if natural gas capabilities were to be added
to trucks and SUVs, or even cars, which demand greater
horsepower, the lure of natural gas begins to tarnish
rather quickly. In terms of the future natural gas is
already dead. In reality, the most interesting natural gas
vehicle would be a natural gas-electric hybrid vehicle.
So, what is Honda's deal? I don't know. While Honda has
been much more bullish on hybrids than the Big 3, they are
still far behind Toyota. The Civic
hybrid is a great vehicle, nothing flashy, but a
quality vehicle. Still, in terms of hybrid technology, it
really isn't Best of Breed. The Accord
hybrid is the best Accord ever,but it also is a
mediocre hybrid at best.
In terms of pure hybrid technology, Toyota and Ford stand
above Honda. The Prius
is simply the best hybrid vehicle. The Lexus
RX400h, the Highlander
hybrid, and the Escape
hybrid demonstrate that very fuel efficient hybrid
SUVs are possible - as more efficient batteries are
developed. This, while frustrating for environmentalists,
is simply an important aspect of the American automobile
market.
Natural gas is a new fuel for a dying technology. While it
offers great potential for fleets, it does not offer the
same for the average consumer.
Hybrid technology, on the other hand, is a step towards
the future, a future that can offer unlimited horsepower
without foreign oil, without pollution. More important,
hybrids can work within the current energy infrastructure
and the technology can naturally, transparently
accommodate fickle consumers afraid of change, as the
industry adapts and evolves into the hydrogen highway.
Yes, hybrid technology is a bit expensive, but not as
expensive as the first calculators, cellphones, and
computers.
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