Built in small numbers
It was quiet around Honda and hydrogen for a while, but not anymore: the Japanese will start building fuel cell cars in the United States from 2024. Honda wouldn’t be Honda if it wasn’t slightly different from the rest of the range in terms of technology. The car, based on the upcoming CR-V, can also be plugged in.
Honda built cars with a hydrogen cell twice before. They were both called Clarity and had a low carriage. This time Honda chooses to implement its hydrogen technology in a car based on the next CR-V – a high car. We would not be surprised if it is a car that simply looks like a CR-V from the outside, but has different technology underneath. The powertrain of the car will consist of a fuel cell and a battery pack. The latter can also be charged by plugging in, which is unique for a production hydrogen car. According to Honda, the car combines the advantages of driving on battery power with the long-distance capabilities of a hydrogen-powered car.
The second generation of the hydrogen-powered Honda Clarity.
Honda will take the car into small-scale production in the United States in 2024. Production takes place in the same factory where Honda built the NSX. In addition to its energy carrier, the upcoming hydrogen CR-V has something in common with the Honda’s Clarity of yesteryear. They were built in the same factory where Honda manufactured the original NSX, in Japan.
Small numbers
The production of the fuel cell car, as witnessed by the small-scale production, should contribute to Honda’s knowledge of hydrogen technology and not so much tap into a new part of the market. Honda does not specify how many hydrogen CR-Vs it wants to build. However, the technology must contribute to Honda’s ambition to only sell emission-free cars from 2040. That, according to Honda, will most likely be both BEVs and FCEVs. It is not known whether the CR-V on hydrogen will also be available in the Netherlands. The new CR-V will come to the Netherlands, about which we previously wrote that it will only be available with hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. In that respect, this hydrogen powertrain fits the bill.
.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl