Honda CR-V to achieve hydrogen FCEV possibility in 2024

A Honda CR-V variant with a plug-in hydrogen gasoline cell powertrain will likely be constructed within the US from 2024.

In its announcement in a single day, Honda mentioned the “new FCEV [Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle] will likely be primarily based on the all-new Honda CR-V“.

We don’t anticipate any main design or sheetmetal modifications, although, as the corporate went on to state the brand new mannequin will add “zero emissions and EV driving efficiency to America’s best-selling CUV of the previous quarter century”.

Honda didn’t give any particulars concerning the CR-V FCEV’s drivetrain, so we’re none the wiser about its whole vary, energy or torque.

The corporate has a partnership with GM to collectively develop gasoline cell drivetrain expertise, so it’s possible a lot of its powertrain will spring from that.

We do know, although, that the brand new CR-V FCEV will likely be a plug-in mannequin, which means it’ll have a decently-sized battery pack that may be recharged at house by means of mains electrical energy or at public charging stations.

If plug-in hybrid petrol automobiles are something to go by, the CR-V-based FCEV needs to be able to round 50km driving on battery energy alone.

Earlier Honda gasoline cell automobiles, like the 2 generations of the Readability FCEV, solely had a small excessive voltage battery pack, primarily to retailer power generated from regenerative braking.

The second-generation Readability FCEV had a 130kW electrical motor driving the entrance wheels. With its compressed hydrogen tanks crammed to the brim, it had an estimated driving vary of 580km.

Within the US, the Readability FCEV was solely accessible by way of lease, and solely in choose states, primarily California, the place a lot of the nation’s publicly accessible hydrogen filling stations are positioned. In direction of the top of its life, lessees had been additionally given a gasoline card value as much as US$15,000 ($22,100).

The brand new CR-V FCEV will likely be constructed at Honda’s Efficiency Manufacturing Middle in Marysville, Ohio, a manufacturing facility that, primarily, hand produces automobiles in small portions annually.

Its most well-known automobile is the hybrid second-generation Honda NSX, bought because the Acura NSX in North America. It’s at the moment producing the restricted version Acura TLX PMC Version.

This implies, like earlier gasoline cell Hondas, the CR-V FCEV gained’t be a volume-selling mannequin.

All gasoline cell Hondas to-date have been inbuilt Japan, and it’s unclear if the Ohio-built CR-V FCEV will likely be bought solely in North America or exported world wide.

Honda has beforehand said it expects all of its gross sales globally to be pure electrical and gasoline cell automobiles by 2040.

The sixth-generation CR-V was launched in July, and is over 12 months away from its native launch. Within the US it’s accessible with a 142kW/243Nm 1.5-litre turbo four-pot, and a 152kW 2.0-litre hybrid.

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