Hydrogen gas cells nonetheless signify a small slice of the electric-vehicle market share, since they depend on distinctive infrastructure, however Honda isn’t letting that decelerate its aspirations. In 2024, the automaker intends to shake up the market a bit with a brand new fuel-cell automobile primarily based on an immensely in style automotive, with some distinctive options that would assist it acquire traction with consumers.
Honda this week introduced that it’ll construct a hydrogen fuel-cell electrical automobile at its Efficiency Manufacturing Middle in Marysville, Ohio, in 2024. Whereas the automobile doesn’t but have a public title, Honda did say that this new FCEV might be primarily based on the CR-V SUV, one of many automaker’s hottest choices.
There’s an fascinating twist in right here, too. Whereas each different fuel-cell automobile turns compressed hydrogen fuel into electrical energy, which is used to propel the electrical motors powering the automobile, Honda’s FCEV will ease the transition to hydrogen by providing a charging plug. This may, in Honda’s phrases, “[enable] the motive force to cost the onboard battery to ship EV driving round city with the pliability of quick hydrogen refueling for longer journeys.” So, in a way, it is like a plug-in hybrid, however as a substitute of gasoline, it makes use of compressed hydrogen.
2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid Sport Touring Is a Stable Compact Crossover
The Efficiency Manufacturing Middle often offers with small-batch autos just like the Acura NSX and limited-volume PMC variants of its normal street automobiles. For the reason that hydrogen CR-V requires some distinctive meeting processes, it is smart that Honda would begin manufacturing there.
Particulars concerning the new CR-V FCEV are gentle, and issues will probably keep that means for some time. Nevertheless, Honda did promise that extra details about this automotive might be made out there as we draw nearer to the beginning of manufacturing in 2024.
