Driving On Cue (Q)

“She’s the youngest and possibly the cutest driver ever to lease a hydrogen-powered Honda”, says the newscaster.

That’s Q’orianka Kilcher, the young actress and star of the film “The New World” and an upcoming blockbuster to be announced shortly.

On March 7 with cameras flashing at Universal City, Honda gave Q’orianka the keys to her very first car, the Honda FCX, a fuel cell vehicle powered by hydrogen. And to think my first car was my parent’s Volvo!

A pioneering young environmentalist, Q’orianka elected to become a true customer of the FCX by signing a 2-year lease. A radiant Q gushed, “I feel honored and I can’t believe I am actually sitting in this car and am going to take it home today.”

In her rousing speech, Q proclaimed “Social and environmental change is something we, the young generation, have to demand. My hope is that all our nations’ leaders have the wisdom to see the immediate need to bring about a shift in environmental consciousness. A clean healthy environment is a key to our survival as human race.”

Hydrogen cars always generate lively discussions. On the plus side, fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into water and produce electricity. Their only emission is water vapor, not CO2. On the challenging side, hydrogen is an energy carrier, not an original energy source; therefore, the energy to make the hydrogen must come from somewhere, ideally from renewables. Also, a new infrastructure to make, transport, store, and fuel up with hydrogen must be created, and last time I checked, the FCX was costing Honda $1 million per car to make? It’s a good thing that Q’orianka is a responsible teenager with wisdom far beyond her years. Regardless, I applaud Q and Honda on their initiative to make the future a cleaner place for us all.

Stay tuned for the launch of Q’orianka’s new On-Q Initiative. And honk 3 times if you see Q’orianka on the road in her new Honda FCX.