Honda doubles hydrogen use with new fuel-cell powered SUV

Honda introduced a brand new hydrogen fuel-cell powered car for the US market, an indication that the automaker hasn't given up on probably the most ample component within the universe for its car lineup.

2025 Honda CR-V e:The FCEV might not simply get off the tongue, however Honda says it might discover a fanbase, particularly as hybrid powertrains grow to be extra well-liked amongst American automobile consumers than pure battery-electric automobiles. Are being proved. The gas cell electrical car could have an EPA-rated vary of 270 miles, which incorporates an all-electric driving vary of 29 miles.

The CR-V e:FCEV is a compact crossover SUV co-developed with Normal Motors utilizing gas cell modules produced by the businesses' Gas Cell System Manufacturing (FCSM) three way partnership in Michigan. It is going to be out there for leasing in California later this yr, however pricing particulars weren’t instantly out there.

The gas cell module generates an estimated 92.2 kilowatts of energy with 174 horsepower and 229 ft-lb of torque. The battery has an vitality capability of 17.7kWh, and will be recharged by way of a standard wall outlet or a Stage 2 charger. And the FCEV could have bi-directional charging capabilities, offering a modest 1.5 kilowatts of energy for small residence home equipment or tenting tools.

Dimension-wise, this can be a CR-V, so don't anticipate an excessive amount of area. The wheelbase is 106.3 inches, the identical because the 2024 gas-powered mannequin, which has an general size of 187.6 inches.

The FCEV will come commonplace with HondaLink, the corporate's related app, which incorporates hydrogen fueling station info. Discovering a refueling station can be one of many important challenges for anybody all in favour of shopping for Honda's new SUV. In accordance with the Hydrogen Gas Cell Partnership, there are solely 55 hydrogen stations in California.

Hydrogen gas cells use compressed hydrogen as their gas, releasing water vapor as their solely emission. Many automakers have lately seized on the expertise for its benefits within the improvement of professional quality automobiles and cell energy turbines – and as a approach to transfer away from polluting gas-powered automobiles and meet their very own local weather objectives. In type of.

FCSM was established in 2017 as a three way partnership between GM and Honda. The 2 automakers have additionally collaborated on battery electrical automobiles together with the Honda Prologue, Acura ZDX and Cruze Origin.

Hydrogen has had little success within the passenger automobile market. Honda was one of many solely firms to promote a hydrogen-powered automobile – the Readability – earlier than it was discontinued in 2017. The issue arises from the just about full absence of refueling infrastructure. Automakers at the moment are specializing in work vehicles and development tools, believing will probably be simpler to construct hydrogen fueling stations for automobiles working in restricted areas.

The vitality content material of hydrogen is low relative to quantity, making hydrogen storage a problem because it requires excessive stress, low temperatures, or chemical processes to compactly retailer it. Overcoming this problem is necessary for mild automobiles as they usually have restricted measurement and weight capability for gas storage.

The Biden administration lately proposed new tax pointers geared toward making hydrogen cheaper to provide as a much less polluting various to fossil fuels. The issue, nonetheless, is that the majority hydrogen is made with the assistance of fossil fuels, principally by way of a course of referred to as steam methane reforming which produces carbon dioxide emissions. Methane is an much more potent greenhouse gasoline than CO2 and is often launched alongside the availability chain from manufacturing to finish use.

The Honda CR-V e:FCEV will are available in just one trim, the Touring mannequin, with a ten.2-inch gauge cluster, 9-inch central touchscreen, wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wi-fi telephone charging, 12-speaker Bose audio. system, and lots of different commonplace options. There are 4 driving modes: Regular, Eco, Sport and Snow.