Honda's NSX Factory Is Shifting to Plug-In Hydrogen CR-V Production

Honda announced a hydrogen-fueled, plug-in SUV based on the new CR-V on Wednesday. The new vehicle will be the first plug-in hybrid to use hydrogen, and, due to its low-volume nature, will be built at Honda's Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio.

If that name sounds familiar, it's because that's where Acura built the second-generation NSX. The specialty facility was designed for Honda's low-volume offerings that are tough to build on conventional lines. The NSX, with its all-aluminum structure and small sales volumes, was the first. Since then, the plant has also made special "PMC Edition" versions of the Acura MDX, TLX, and RDX, with option combinations not available on standard-production-line cars. Now that the NSX is gone, it'll build the country's first fuel-cell plug-in hybrid.

Conceptually, it's exactly what it sounds like. The CR-V-based vehicle will have a lithium-ion battery that can be charged at home, with enough range for daily commuting or short trips. For longer trips, it has a range extender, similar to a current plug-in hybrid. Except, instead of a gasoline engine, the CR-V-like SUV will use a compressed-hydrogen-powered fuel cell.