Honda is returning to the hydrogen-car sector with a fuel-cell-powered evolution of the CR-V. Whereas some corporations construct hydrogen-electric fashions to study in regards to the expertise, the Japanese automaker stresses that the CR-V e:FCEV is a regular-production mannequin with a usable quantity of driving vary operating on hydrogen, electrical energy, or each, and all the creature comforts that patrons anticipate finding in a automotive in 2024.
Design particulars resembling a powertrain-specific entrance finish with a smaller grille and a bigger decrease air consumption assist set the e:FCEV other than the usual CR-V. It is a comparable story inside, the place the fundamental format is carried over from the sixth-generation mannequin launched for the 2023 mannequin 12 months. There’s room for 5 passengers, which is spectacular contemplating the hydrogen-electric drivetrain takes up significantly extra space than a four-cylinder engine and a gasoline tank, a ten.2-inch digital instrument cluster, and a nine-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system, which is suitable with wi-fi Apple CarPlay and wi-fi Android Auto. Heated and power-adjustable entrance seats come normal.
Honda developed the powertrain collectively with Normal Motors. The system consists of two hydrogen storage tanks (one underneath the rear seats and the opposite underneath the trunk ground), a gasoline cell and an electrical motor, each situated underneath the hood, and a 17.7-kilowatt-hour battery pack built-in into the ground. Honda has dabbled in hydrogen expertise for over 20 years, and it leveraged this experience when creating the brand new system that powers the e:FCEV. It notes that the drivetrain is extra sturdy, extra environment friendly, and more cost effective to construct than its predecessor.
The system sends 174 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque to the entrance wheels; all-wheel drive is not obtainable. Honda notes that filling up the tanks with a complete of 4.3 kilos of hydrogen returns a most driving vary of 270 miles. On this configuration, gaseous hydrogen enters the gasoline cell, the place it reacts with oxygen to create the electrical energy that drives the wheels. Alternatively, customers can plug within the e:FCEV like an electrical automotive to recharge the battery pack and drive for as much as 29 miles on electrical energy alone. Honda argues this setup offers motorists one of the best of each worlds: They’ll use the CR-V e:FCEV as an electrical automotive to commute, they usually can swap to hydrogen energy for longer journeys.
Constructing a CR-V that runs on hydrogen required re-engineering the suspension system and the chassis. Engineers elevated rear lateral rigidity by 10%, elevated rear torsional rigidity by 9%, and fitted the mannequin with particular springs, dampers, and stabilizer bars on each ends.
Made in Marysville, Ohio, the CR-V e:FCEV might be obtainable later in 2024. There is a catch: You will not be capable to purchase one, as it can solely be distributed via lease plans. There’s one other catch: The mannequin will initially solely be provided in California. Honda hasn’t revealed when (not to mention if) drivers in different states will be capable to lease one, but it surely clarified that it plans to take a position a considerable quantity of sources into hydrogen expertise within the coming years. It notably sees purposes within the business trucking, development, and area exploration sectors.