Honda Clarity FCV Goes On Sale In Japan, Europe and U.S. To Follow This Year

Honda has opened the order books for its Clarity fuel cell vehicle in its home market of Japan, where prices start from 7,660,000 Yen ($67,955 equivalent).

With room for five passengers, the Clarity is offered in only three exterior colors, Premium Brilliant Garnet Metallic, White Orchid Pearl and Crystal Black Pearl, on top of a Platinum Gray interior.

The vehicle tips the scale at 1,890 kg (4,167 lbs) and promises a total driving range of around 750 km (~470 miles), 30 percent better over the previous FCV. Refilling its 70 MPa, 141-liter high-pressure hydrogen tank takes approximately 3 minutes.

Honda plans to shift around 200 units of the Clarity, in Japan, in the first year, and it will focus on lease sales to local government bodies or businesses.

Available at an extra cost and launched along with the FCV on its local market is the Power Exporter 9000, which is “capable of supplying approximately seven-days’ worth of electricity for an average household“, as Honda claims, transforming the car into a “power source on wheels“.

The North American version of the Honda Clarity, expected in dealerships by the end of 2016, will come with a range estimated to exceed 300 miles (more than 480 km). In California, the car should start from approximately $60,000. It’s American launch will coincide with the vehicle’s European introduction, as it will arrive on the Old Continent before the year’s end.