Jack Cusick, a self-described 40-year-old nerd, always wanted a cleaner car. “I was on the lookout for a natural gas hybrid,” he said, “but then the opportunity to drive a Honda FCX Clarity presented itself. I jumped at the chance.”

Jack, a high school assistant principal, lives in Irvine, California and has been leasing the FCX Clarity since January, 2009. He knows that although it is a special car, the point is to use it the way he would use any other car. Jack drives an average of 200 miles a week to and from work and running around town. “I feel better now about using my car for errands since the FCX Clarity doesn’t use expensive gasoline or pollute the environment,” he stated.

Even though it doesn’t have “fuel cell vehicle” written on it, the car still turns heads. People give him the thumbs up on the freeway, or snap his picture as he drives by. In parking lots, people ask how it works, how much it costs and where he gets fuel. “I’ve got to be honest,” he admitted, “For all the chatter I see on the Internet from people who don't think hydrogen-powered fuel cells can’t last, I encounter people day after day who would love to drive one.”

UC Irvine’s hydrogen station is where Jack most often fuels. He said that fueling his fuel cell vehicle is “easier than fueling a regular car, and certainly easier than recharging a battery vehicle,” but noted that the limited number of fueling stations is a hurdle. More stations in the area are in the planning process, including a Shell station in Newport Beach.

Jack got an FCX Clarity because he wanted to be a part of the future, but instead found that he was part of the present. Having a fuel cell vehicle made him more aware of the environment, recycling and reducing his carbon footprint. “Let me put it this way,” he said, “An FCV won't change the way you drive, but it may change the way you live--for the better.”

“Hopefully, we'll eventually live in a society where fuel cell technology is the mainstream. And try to score a Honda FCX Clarity, if you can . . . it's a sweet ride.”