I think Honda is tired of playing second fiddle to Toyota when it comes to environmentally-friendly vehicles coming out of the land of the rising sun. After all, the first car that most people think of when you mention the word “hybrid” is naturally the Toyota Prius and not the Civic Hybrid, despite significant efforts from the big H to push their hybrid line (which also includes the Accord Hybrid and Insight, the latter of which was the first hybrid sold in the US).

Most industry pundits are quick to point out that hybrids are merely a transitional technology, and we need something that is even more efficient and burns cleaner. That’s why Honda is secretly shifting their attention to hydrogen fuel cells, with a consumer-ready model in “three to four years.”

Best of all, Honda might be making it so that you don’t even need to head out to the local Chevron to get any kind of fuel whatsoever, because they’re also developing an in-home fuel production plant that converts the natural gas you already receive into hydrogen fuel. While some may point out that natural gas is still a fossil fuel, bear in mind that it has a much higher energy density (more efficient; as good as $0.20/gallon equivalent) and it burns significantly cleaner than gasoline.