I have never really been into cars, unless you count the 5-year love-affair I enjoyed with a ’69 VW Bug.  I have certainly never been into toy cars, or remote-controlled cars, so it was with some trepidation I approached last week’s test-drive of the new H-Racer, even if it was supposed to be for my kids.

The H-Racer, developed by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies (www.horizonfuelcell.com), is the world’s smallest hydrogen car.  The OMSI Science Store is currently advertising it.  Small enough to fit in an adult hand, it operates on %100 emission-free fuel supplied by a tiny solar-powered hydrogen refueling station. 

The car and station require assembly, which the kids I was with (ages 4, 7, and 9) had little patience to wait through.  The nine-year-old was able to help somewhat, but he’s a complete car nut, so I’d recommend at least partially assembling the car before springing it on the kids, unless the kids are at least 12 and able to put the whole thing together by themselves.  It also has some small and fragile components, and costs about $100, so consider 12 to be the minimum age for use without supervision.  Once assembled, the H-Racer is transparent, allowing you to see just exactly how the hydrogen powers its tiny electrical motor.

Here are the kids’ comments on the H-Racer:

“I liked when you put in the . . . what is it called?  I liked the hydrogen. (4-year-old boy)

“Oh, I didn’t really like it.  It was kind of boring. It doesn’t do a lot.”  (7-year-old girl)

“Pretty nice.  I liked the solar panels.  I think I’d love to have one.”  (9-year-old boy)

The refueling station was easily my favorite part of the H-Racer.  Long after the kids had tired of the car (which was within a tiny fraction of the time it took to assemble it), I was still filling it up again and again. 

With the little solar panels and miniature fuel hose, flashing blue lights and oxygen bubbles, assembling, activating, and using the Hydrogen Station is more fun than anything the car does.  Which is to go, not very far,not very fast, and in a straight line. For kids accustomed to remote-controlled cars, or cars that make lots of noise, the H-Racer, which can operate for maybe 2 minutes per fueling session, is just not very exciting.  It’s best suited for adults, or kids old enough to understand why a hydrogen fuel cell car is so cool, and so important as a model for reducing dependence on fossil fuels.