The first hydrogen gas cell client automobile for America was introduced Tuesday by Honda.
With a reputation that doesn’t fairly roll off the tongue, the CR-V e:FCEV combines a hydrogen gas cell system with plug-in charging functionality and has an EPA driving vary ranking of 270 miles.
Honda acknowledged the automobiles will probably be out there for buyer leasing in California beginning later this yr and expects preliminary gross sales of two,000 models yearly.
Co-developed with General Motors, Honda stated the CR-V e:FCEV’s new gas cell system, made in Michigan, gives improved sturdiness, larger effectivity, and decrease price in comparison with Honda’s previous-generation gas cell system.
The new automobile, produced in Ohio, features a 110-volt outlet that delivers 1,500 watts of juice for powering gadgets reminiscent of small dwelling home equipment, moveable air conditioners, energy instruments, and tenting gear.
Cutaway view of the 2025 Honda CR-V e:FCEV inner elements
Honda additionally acknowledged it has doubled the sturdiness of its gas cell system by making use of corrosion-resistant supplies and managed suppression of decay, in addition to enhancing the low-temperature efficiency of the system.
Infrastructure Challenge
“It is interesting to see Honda re-entering the market, having canceled its Clarity in 2021 due to poor sales. It shows there is still certainly interest in the technology,” stated Ramsy John, enterprise improvement supervisor at IDTechEx, a world market analysis agency.
“One of the main barriers to fuel cell vehicles is the greater upfront cost,” he advised TechNewsWorld. “The announcement does not state an estimated price for the vehicle but does state they have managed to reduce the fuel cell cost by two-thirds compared to the previous Clarity, which could aid in seeing the cost become comparable to a battery electric vehicle.”
“However,” he continued, “given the range is largely similar to many battery electric cars today, and EV charging infrastructure is so much more widely developed, it could still be a challenge for fuel cell cars to see market success.”
Fueling infrastructure has been a formidable barrier to the adoption of each gas cell and battery-electric automobiles (BEVs).
“Fuel cells and EVs share the same challenge in terms of an inadequate fueling infrastructure, but there are orders of magnitude more EV charging points than hydrogen stations,” stated Edward Sanchez, a senior analyst within the automotive observe at TechInsights, a world know-how intelligence firm.
He defined that there are an estimated 41,000 publicly accessible charging factors in California, in comparison with 55 hydrogen fueling stations within the state, a 3rd of that are in Los Angeles County alone. Nationally, he continued, there are roughly 140,000 public charging factors and 59 hydrogen fueling stations, virtually all of that are in California.
2025 Honda CR-V e:FCEV at a hydrogen refueling station
“Plus, the cost of building out a hydrogen fueling infrastructure is much higher than installing EV charging points, and on a chemical/molecular level, hydrogen is challenging to store and distribute,” Sanchez advised TechNewsWorld.
“The biggest hurdle remains fueling infrastructure,” he stated. “This is also an issue with EVs, but the biggest difference is EV charging stations can be set up relatively quickly and at comparatively low cost compared to hydrogen, which requires much more expensive hardware and infrastructure.”
“The vehicles themselves have proven reliable for the most part,” he added. “Fueling infrastructure is hydrogen fuel cells’ biggest Achilles’ heel.”
Not a Mass Market Item
“Hydrogen-powered cars, whether fuel cell or combustion, have never caught on in the mainstream, especially in the U.S., largely due to challenges with the fueling infrastructure, which has had major issues in reliability and uptime,” Sanchez noticed.
Markets aren’t driving adoption in different international locations, both. “The Japanese OEMs’ interest in hydrogen has been largely driven by incentives and encouragement by the Japanese government,” Sanchez stated.
“The CRV is likely best seen as a demonstration that the tech works and to work out any kinks in the fuel cell and related ecosystem before much more expensive platforms are asked to use it. A hydrogen-powered FCEV [fuel cell electric vehicle] heavy truck will cost upwards of $800,000 before subsidies,” added Robin Gaster, a non-resident senior fellow on the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, a analysis and public coverage group in Washington, D.C.
“Initial sales at 2,000 don’t suggest any intention to make this a mass-market product, even if this is only the first-year target,” he advised TechNewsWorld.
John famous that battery electrical automobiles are deployed in a lot bigger numbers and are already turning into broadly accepted. He identified that in 2023, over 9.6 million battery electrical automobiles have been offered throughout China, Europe, and the U.S., 32% greater than the earlier yr. In comparability, gross sales of gas cell automobiles have been solely round 8,500 globally, almost half of the yr earlier than.
“Hydrogen-powered vehicle sales have collapsed in South Korea — two were sold in January — despite massive subsidies, and there is no traction in California either,” contended Gaster.
“Bluntly,” he continued, “BEVs have zoomed past hydrogen as the preferred clean power option for light vehicles. They will soon be out of sight, and manufacturers will switch to heavy vehicles, where hydrogen won’t win either, though the race is slightly closer.”
Keep on Truckin’
Fuel cell techniques could also be higher fitted to heavier automobiles, particularly long-haul vans, maintained Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst for e-mobility at Guidehouse Insights, a market intelligence firm in Detroit.
“The amount of battery that you need for a long-haul truck is prohibitive because of the time it takes to charge it,” he advised TechNewsWorld. By distinction, the time to refuel a gas cell is on par with the time it takes to fill a fuel tank.
Long-haul vans additionally journey fastened routes, enabling higher management of infrastructure prices.
“Consumers want to drive wherever they want and want infrastructure everywhere,” Abuelsamid stated. “For long-haul trucking, you really only need to build fueling stations along major routes so you can have fewer hydrogen stations to support that use case.”
But even the heavy-truck window could also be closing quick on FCEVs. “The MCS [Megawatt Charging System] protocol in development with CharIN [Charging Interface Initiative] is aiming to bring the time to recharge to near parity with diesel or fuel cells,” Sanchez stated.
“If this premise is proven in the real world, and adequate heavy truck charging infrastructure can be built that would effectively cover national trucking routes, this could potentially deal a fatal blow to hydrogen in the heavy truck market going forward.”
2025 Honda CR-V e:FCEV Key Specifications and Features
ENGINEERING(Honda Fuel Cell Module)
Estimated Power Output
92.2kW
ENGINEERING(Electric Motor)
Peak Horsepower
174 hp
Peak Torque
229 lb.-ft.
BATTERY
Capacity
17.7 kWh
FUEL
MPGe Ratings (City / Hwy / Combined)
61 / 52 / 57
EV Range (miles)
29
Driving Range (miles)
270
Required Fuel
Compressed Hydrogen Gas
Fuel Tank Pressure
10,000 psi
Fuel Tank Capacity (kg)
4.3
WHEELS AND TIRES
Wheel Size
18-inch
Tire Size
235/60R18
EXTERIOR MEASUREMENTS
Wheelbase (in.)
106.3
Length (in.)
187.6
Height (in.)
66.6
Width (in.)
73.4
Track (in., entrance/rear)
63.4 / 64.0
KEY FEATURES
Honda Sensing®
•
Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) Body Structure
•
10.3-inch Digital Instrument Display
•
9-Inch HD Touchscreen
•
Wireless Apple CarPlay®, Android Auto™ Compatibility
•
Heated Front Seats
•
Heated Steering Wheel
•
Wireless Phone Charging (Qi)
•
Bose Premium Audio (12-speaker)
•
Driving Modes
Normal, Eco, Sport, Snow
(Source: Honda)
Editor’s Note: The pictures featured on this article are credited to Honda.