Honda To Build Plug-In Hybrid Fuel Cell CR-V In Ohio From 2024

For much of the past two decades, there has been a schism among supporters of zero emissions vehicles. On one side, there are those that believe battery electric vehicles are absolutely the best way to go. On the other, those that think hydrogen fuel cells are the answer. As in much of life, the real answer is something closer to a continuum that includes both as well as various combinations in between. Starting in 2024, the Honda Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio will begin producing one of those in-betweeners, a plug-in hybrid fuel cell CR-V.

The concept of a plug-in hybrid fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) is hardly new. Back at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show where the original Chevrolet Volt concept debuted, Ford showed off a cool, mirror finish minivan called the Airstream concept. While the actual concept was powered by a gasoline four-cylinder engine, the spec sheet listed the powertrain as HySeries Drive. At the same time that the concept was being built, Ford engineers were actually putting together a prototype Edge crossover that had a working HySeries Drive.

The HySeries Edge used an 18-kWh battery along with a hydrogen fuel cell system in a series configuration. Since batteries are better at providing transient power for acceleration Ford configured the system to have the batteries drive the vehicle. Fuel cells are more efficient when running in steady state so the fuel cell could be turned on and off to act as a range extender giving about 225 miles of range although at the time Ford claimed it had achieved as much as 400 miles in testing. Ford had plans for a limited production run of these vehicles but they were canceled in 2008 due to the financial crisis.

Since 2007, other automakers including Audi and BMW have shown vehicles with similar configurations, but none have come to production. Until now that is. Honda, which has been one of the main proponents of fuel cell technology along with Toyota and Hyundai, has previously built two limited production FCEVs. The most recent Clarity FCEV was produced from 2015 to 2021.

Like the FCEVs from other manufacturers, those were also hybrids with small batteries similar to those found in vehicles like the Toyota Prius to recapture energy during braking and provide some boost during acceleration. The CR-V FCEV that debuts in 2024 will be the first from Honda with a plug. At this stage, Honda hasn’t revealed specifics of the configuration of the CR-V FCEV, but it seems likely that it will follow a similar pattern to the old Edge with the battery providing primary propulsion power and a smaller, lower cost fuel cell as a range extender.

The fuel cell stack is expected to be sourced from the factory in Brownstown Township near Detroit that is producing the jointly developed fuel cell systems from GM and Honda. Interestingly, Honda is launching this vehicle at roughly the same time as the Prologue, a battery only crossover based on GM’s Ultium electric platform and built by GM. Volumes of the CR-V are expected to be much lower than Prologue. The Performance Manufacturing Center never built more than about 700 NSXs annually.