Car Reviews

The buzz with alternative fuel vehicles is all about performance. Sure, a zero-emissions vehicle is great, but if it takes me 10 minutes to get to 60 mph, what’s it worth? The Tesla Roadster has proven that well-designed eco-vehicles will sell—at any price. The Honda FC Sport concept took the hydrogen fuel cell technology already developed for the Honda FCX Clarity and pushed it to sport performance level.

The downside? It’s a concept. We hope Honda doesn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one when it comes to production. The world needs alternative fuel vehicles that don’t look like grandma’s boring, errand-running, stubby sedan.

BYD Auto nosed out ahead of General Motors (GM), Toyota and Nissan on Dec. 15 by debuting China’s first mass-produced plug-in hybrid, the F3DM. Though it’s not much to look at and has a rather forgettable name, it’s an impressive step forward for hybrids, the auto industry and China.

The F3DM gets juiced from a normal electricity outlet and pushes up to 60 mph in a respectable 10 seconds, also runs up to 60 miles on electricity before gas power kicks in. It’s not a sports car, to say the least; the F3DM feels much more like the conservative Toyota Camry inside and out, and starts at $22,000. Also its near-silent engine adds to the impressive driving experience, heightening awareness of the wind and humming tires sounds.

Warren Buffet (MidAmerican Energy, controlled by Berkshire Hathaway) invested $231 million in BYD a short time ago to charge the electric car into the American market by 2010, clueing in analysts in China’s potential in developing environmentally-friendly cars.

However, what BYD faces in implementing the F3DM hybrid car is the weak infrastructure in China. Most people live in large apartment buildings where recharging plug-in stations are extremely scarce.

The cars in the first round of Honda’s limited production of the FCX Clarity, an advanced hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, have been spoken for. In fact, only qualified customers in Irvine, Santa Monica and Torrance had the remote opportunity to take one home.

Producing this alternative fuel vehicle is a significant effort in mainstreaming hydrogen fuel-cell cars. The technology is a few steps beyond current hybrids, and the body style isn’t unattractive. Those who were lucky enough to grab one are paying no less than $600 per month lease.

While the modest introductory release may not seem quite “fair” to the rest of the country, the availability to refuel the FCX Clarity is even more limited!

With its sticker price at $19,035, the new 2009 Ford Fusion is the best yet—sporting some cool features including tight handling, cell phone interface and MP3 sync, and stability control. However, old-school stereo controls and a low-power engine hold the Ford Fusion from being the top player in the midsize sedan category.

Also for 2009, the Ford Fusion is going Hybrid (unveiled at the LA Auto Show on Nov. 18), obviously pointing competition at the Toyota Camry Hybrid, boasting of 40 mph and running up to 47 mph on electric power alone.