Actress Jamie Lee Curtis Is Latest To Lease Honda FCX Clarity

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Actress Jamie Lee Curtis Is Latest To Lease Honda FCX Clarity

TORRANCE, California — Jamie Lee Curtis' Web site shows a striking picture of her with arms wrapped around a globe in a not-so-subtle green message. So it's little wonder that the Hollywood actress and children's-book author ended up with the keys to a Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicle.

Honda announced on Tuesday that Curtis and her husband, actor/director Christopher Guest, are the latest people to take delivery of the FCX Clarity. They are the second of about 200 customers who will begin leasing the vehicle in the U.S. and Japan over the next three years.

"I really wasn't expecting it to be so luxurious," said Curtis in a statement released by Honda. "It's luxurious, luxurious, luxurious! I love the interior layout, design and access to controls. It is user-friendly and very modern."

Honda said Curtis and her husband have owned other unnamed alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles.

While many people might remember Curtis for such films as Halloween, Prom Night and Trading Places, Curtis also has been a proponent of environmental awareness. Wikipedia notes that in 1987 she filed U.S. Patent 4,753,647, which is a modification of a diaper with a moisture-proof pocket containing wipes that can be taken out and used with one hand. But she has refused to allow the invention to be marketed until companies start selling biodegradable diapers.

Curtis is also seen by many women as a paradigm of authenticity. She created a firestorm of publicity several years ago when she agreed to do a photo shoot and story for More magazine entitled "True Thighs," a twist on True Lies. In the photos, she appeared in unflattering spandex underwear and with no makeup. But women readers told More they were cheered by her knowing grin and fearless attitude.

Curtis follows Ron Yerxa and his wife, Annette Ballester, in the FCX Clarity roster of customers. Yerxa is the producer of Little Miss Sunshine.

The FCX Clarity is powered by an electric motor that runs on electricity generated in the fuel cell, and it manages to triple the fuel efficiency of a modern vehicle while having water as its only emission. Advances over the previous-generation FCX include a 25 percent increase in combined fuel economy to 74 mpg GGE (gasoline gallon equivalent) and a 280-mile range that represents a 30 percent increase from the old version.

About 200 vehicles are available for the three-year,$600-per-month lease program. Honda's FCX Web site has more details.

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Actress Jamie Lee Curtis second owner of Honda FCX Clarity

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., delivered its second FCX Clarity to Jamie Lee Curtis on July 31. Curtis and husband Christopher Guest are the second of approximately 200 customers who will begin leasing the vehicle in the United States and Japan over the next three years.

"I really wasn't expecting it to be so luxurious," says Curtis. "It's luxurious, luxurious, luxurious! I love the interior layout, design and access to controls. It is user-friendly and very modern."

Ron Yerxa and Annette Ballester, Santa Monica, Calif., residents, took delivery of the first FCX Clarity on July 25.

The FCX Clarity is a next-generation, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle. Significant advances over Honda's previous generation FCX, the company says, include a 25 percent increase in combined fuel economy to 74 mpg GGE (miles per gasoline gallon equivalent) and a greater than 30 percent increase in driving range up to 280 miles. Propelled by an electric motor that runs on electricity generated in the fuel cell, the vehicle's only by-products are heat and water, and its fuel efficiency is three times that of a modern gasoline-powered automobile.

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Jamie Lee Curtis has a new Honda: Another fuel-cell star is born
This post comes to you from the letter H and the word "hydrogen." "Halloween" star Jamie Lee Curtis has just taken delivery of her new Honda. It’s an FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle, which she will be leasing for three years. JLC is happy. "I really wasn't expecting it to be so luxurious," she says. "It is user-friendly and very modern."

The FCX, whose only emissions are heat and H2O, should be a regular sight in Santa Monica, because at least one other has gone to a well-heeled beach denizen. Plus, with a range of 280 miles and hydrogen filling stations few and far between (there are currently just a handful in Southern California, and most of those are open at limited times only — demand is rather low at the moment), they won't be undertaking extended road trips anytime soon.

However, plans are in place for all that to change. Hoping to break this chicken-or-egg deadlock, the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP, a collaboration of carmakers, energy providers, tech companies and government agencies) has just released its vision for a hydrogen-fueled future. The full document can be seen on CaFCP’s website. Here are the highlights. It goes into the numbers of how many fuel-cell vehicles will be humming along the Golden State's highways from 2010 to 2025 and how much hydrogen they will need. Even fuel-cell buses are part of CaFCP's grand scheme.



"It can be difficult to see how we move from today's 200 FCVs and 25 limited-access stations to a commercial market," says executive director Catherine Dunwoody. "This document provides a clear vision of how that transition can occur."

The idea is to set up an infrastructure of stations. CaFCP realizes this would be a loss-making venture in its initial stages and proposes government funding, although Dunwoody contends: "Moving toward a hydrogen future has clear benefits for the environment and the economy. To achieve commercialization, California needs to establish a network of early hydrogen fuel stations focused in key early markets. Although the benefits may not be fully realized for years to come, it is time to take the next step."

The other big question is: Because JLC’s husband is Christopher ("Spinal Tap") Guest, does the FCX's stereo go all the way to 11?


Story Here and Pictures:http://latimesblogs.l atimes.com/uptospeed/2008/08/f uel-cells-get.html

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