Honda’s big introduction at the Los Angeles auto show was its second-generation FCX fuel-cell car, which is now called the FCX Clarity. The company claims that this sedan will be EPA rated at a heady 68 mpg (combined city and highway) and have a 270-mile driving range, or about 30 percent more than the first-generation FCX.

Most intriguing, at least for a select few, will be that Honda intends to put this car into the hands of more everyday consumers. The previous FCX has been leased to three customers in the Southern California area. For the new one, Honda will offer a three-year lease for $600 a month to people in the areas of Irvine, Santa Monica, and Torrance, California, who are close to hydrogen refueling stations. Honda will also support the leased cars with dealership service training and a special FCX service center in the LA area.

The consumer lease program will be kicked off next year, but so far Honda won’t say how many cars will be in it. If interested, keep an eye on Honda’s Web site and on this blog, where we’ll pass along info as we get it.

GM also recently announced its Project Driveway program (see our recent blog entry) in which it will be putting its Chevrolet Equinox fuel-cell vehicles into consumers’ hands for a few months at a time. That program will be based in California, and in the areas of New York City and Washington D.C. For information or to throw your name into the hat, go to www.chevrolet.com/fuelcell.

—Rik Paul