Yahoo Autos This Production Hydrogen CR-V Comes With a Plug
Honda and Toyota have offered a small pool of hydrogen-powered cars for well over a decade. That technology is still far from mainstream and ownership of the cars is still a bit of an ordeal, but Honda's latest hydrogen offering brings a simple potential fix: a plug-in hybrid-like setup for a hydrogen fuel-cell EV.
The technology is debuting on a CR-V variant first announced in 2022, one that is unfortunately called the CR-V e:FCEV. For those keeping track of their abbreviations at home, that works out to "Comfortable Runabout - Vehicle electric: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle."
The name is confusing, but the concept is relatively simple. The crossover is built around the second generation of the Honda Fuel Cell Module developed alongside GM, one the brand says is one-third of the price of the earlier module installed in previous Honda Clarity models. That offers 270 miles of total range, which is augmented by 29 miles of electric range from onboard batteries that can be charged from a typical level 2 plug like a more traditional plug-in hybrid.
Rather than build a dedicated car for the job like previous Honda Clarity products or the Toyota Mirai, Honda has opted to build all of that underneath a take on its impressive new CR-V. That means the company's latest fuel cell offering blends in well with traffic and that buyers get a car that's already popular on the market.
The CR-V e:PHEV will be built at Honda's Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio, making it the only fuel-cell EV made in America. That plant was previously used to build the Acura NSX supercar. Now, the focus shifts to a different kind of moonshot. Honda says that all of its production will be either battery-electric or fuel-cell electric offerings by 2040, so experimental models like this are necessary to see where the brand's future lies.
The hydrogen-powered, plug-in CR-V will be available for lease in California later this year. As this is a CR-V built in a supercar factory, expect production to be fairly limited.
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