Buy a Honda FCX, Get a $12k Tax Credit

Yes, you heard that right. In Canada, when you buy a hybrid or any car that meets certain environmental standards, you get a monetary kickback from the government rewarding you for your green ways. But none of these rebates are anywhere near what you’ll get when you buy a hydrogen car.

The Honda FCX hydrogen fuel-cell car is the first vehicle to meet certain government requirements, effectively giving buyers an incredible $12,000 IRS tax credit. That should help offset its cost, right? The reason why there is such a huge tax credit is because the hydrogen-powered FCX is completely clean-burning, emitting nothing but water. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was designed to encourage this kind of development.

On the downside, only 15 FCX’s have been let loose on the road since 2002, and only two of those are leased to individuals, so it’s not like the IRS is flinging tax credits every which way just yet.