Honda is Betting Big on Fuel Cell Vehicles

Will Honda Sell a Hydrogen-Powered CR-V in the US?

The automotive world is full of rumors and “reports” about new vehicles that never seem to come to fruition. They always get our hopes up, but rarely do we actually see them show up in production. 

The latest such story is that of Honda apparently looking to sell a hydrogen-powered CR-V here in the United States. Those who are aware of the benefits of fuel cell vehicles will love this, but is it true? After all, fuel cell vehicles have never made up a significant percentage of the industry here in the US, despite their popularity elsewhere in the world.

What We Know About a New Fuel Cell CR-V

Well, we are delighted to say that, in this case, the rumor is true. Not only that, but Honda even came out and shared the news themselves so that there is no mistaking it. 

In November, Honda confirmed that it was working on a production CR-V model that would have fuel cell power and be available for the 2024 model year. To be exact, they referred to the model as “an all-new hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV),” so we’ll use the FCEV acronym going forward.

A few months later, in February 2023, Honda announced that it was expanding its hydrogen business. The brand said they are working on a new generation of fuel cell vehicles, hoping to sell a few hundred thousand fuel cell cars by the end of the 2030s. By 2040, all Honda sales are expected to be battery or fuel cell electric vehicles.

[See Another Electric SUV Coming to Honda in 2024]

2024 Honda CR-V FCEV Details

What that means in practice we do not know yet, other than that Honda is definitely working on a 2024 CR-V FCEV. More fuel cell models will no doubt follow. As for the CR-V FCEV, it will slot into the latest generation of the popular SUV line, which already saw the introduction of a new design, a new hybrid model and the latest Honda features. 

Despite not being released yet, Honda has already said that it will be the first FCEV to have plug-in capability for all-electric driving. Having the all-electric driving capability and fuel cells powered by hydrogen will allow drivers to switch between their preferred power source, using the electric battery for short drives and the ease of quick hydrogen fueling for longer ones.

Unfortunately, Honda hasn’t released many more details than that, and we may not hear more about this model until 2024. That said, if it does indeed have many of the same features found in the all-new 2023 CR-V, we can expect some fan favorites like a new 7-inch touch screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, LED headlights, advanced safety features like Lane Keeping Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control, and built-in Wi-Fi.

[Learn more: Honda Civic and CR-V Now Include Budget-Friendly Options]

Though this model isn’t available to test drive yet and won’t be for quite some time, we will be sure to keep you updated here on the Honda of Marysville blog.