Honda Will Sell a Plug-in Fuel Cell Vehicle in 2024
Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) have the potential to deliver significant environmental benefits as the world transitions away from internal combustion vehicles. Like battery electric vehicles (BEVs), FCEVs do not produce tailpipe carbon dioxide, converting manufactured hydrogen fuel into clean electricity that drives an electric motor. Honda Motor Company is planning to market a hydrogen-powered version of their popular CR-V crossover in 2024, and the revolutionary FCEV will have plug-in capability, allowing it to travel short distances on imported electricity.
The introduction of the plugin CR-V FCEV comes as the commercialization of the hydrogen powertrain faces considerable challenges. The emergence of hydrogen fueling infrastructure in California has demonstrated that FCEVs are a viable clean alternative to BEVs, but the absence of fueling stations in other states has prevented widespread FCEV adoption. Also, FCEVs are considerably more expensive than their gas-burning counterparts, reducing their marketability. Honda discontinued its Clarity FCEV in 2021, making Toyota’s Mirai and Hyundai’s Nexo the only FCEVs currently available in the United States. High sticker prices have been partially offset by generous government tax incentives, but the Mirai and the Nexo became ineligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit when the Inflation Reduction Act disqualified all electric vehicles assembled outside of North America. FCEVs also face criticism from people who are skeptical about hydrogen’s efficacy. Sadly, the loud chorus of naysayers includes ardent BEV enthusiasts who view the FCEV as an inferior green powertrain.
Honda has been refining fuel cell technology for decades and remains optimistic. When it comes to helping the environment, the automaker clearly knows what it’s doing. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the real-world carbon dioxide emissions of Honda’s current fleet are among the lowest of any full-line automaker in America, and the progressive company has pledged to electrify its entire line-up by 2040, selling nothing but BEVs and FCEVs.
The CR-V FCEV is designed to win over consumers and silence hydrogen skeptics. The state-of-theart fuel cell stack that will power the vehicle is said to cost two thirds less than the system deployed in the Clarity. The savings should reduce the CR-V’s price considerably, and the vehicles will be assembled in Ohio, making them eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit. Honda has yet to provide details regarding the plug-in’s all-electric range, but motorists should be able to rely on imported electricity for local trips and only consume hydrogen when traveling longer distances. Advances in technology are steadily increasing the distances that BEVs can travel on a single charge and shortening the amount of time it takes to recharge them, but FCEVs already provide excellent range and can be refueled with hydrogen quickly. The new CR-V will also be capable of exporting electricity from its battery to operate external devices. None of these attributes will fully alleviate the scarcity of hydrogen fueling stations, but Honda plans to build its hydrogen powered CR-Vs in small quantities at first and ship many of them to Japan, where the environmental benefits of hydrogen are being pursued more vigorously.
The international effort against climate change will benefit from the successful proliferation of BEVs and FCEVs. The precise pathway to widespread FCEV adoption remains uncertain, but Honda intends to continue leading the way.