Blog / Honda’s Dream of Hydrogen Cars to Continue With Unique CR-V Model

Honda’s Dream of Hydrogen Cars to Continue With Unique CR-V Model

For more than two decades now, Honda has been a leader in the development and deployment of fuel-cell technology. It all started in 2002 with the FCX, which later spawned the FCX Clarity and more recently the Clarity Fuel Cell. These cars were launched in Japan and California, but not in Canada, of course.

In an effort to support the wider introduction of fuel-cell vehicles, the Japanese automaker has invested over $14 million in California’s hydrogen refueling network. 

Back in 2017, Honda and GM announced a joint venture working toward mass production of lower-cost, compact and high-performance fuel cell systems. Their partnership is still going strong, but last month the former surprised many people, saying it will produce an all-new hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle based on the recently launched, sixth-generation CR-V starting in 2024.

Honda’s Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio—the same plant that built the now-discontinued Acura NSX supercar—will be responsible for this vehicle.  

It won’t be your typical, utopic hydrogen-powered vehicle, mind you, with a combination of FCEV and BEV technologies making it better suited to the current situation where hydrogen fuelling stations are scarce to inexistent. Hence, it will include a decent-sized battery and offer plug-in capability so drivers can charge at home or use fast-charging infrastructure to stay on the road.

In terms of configuration, the fuel cell will most likely be mounted in the front, with the battery in the floor and the hydrogen tanks in the rear. Energy will be used to feed a dual-motor setup.

At the moment, we don’t know anything regarding power, battery capacity and efficiency, hydrogen tank capacity or total range. Further information about this unique new CR-V will probably be doled out over the next few months. Also, we’re curious to find out where Honda plans to sell (or lease) the vehicle.