Honda starts commercial sales of the CR-V hybrid with hydrogen fuel cell in Japan

After starting production in California just over a month ago, as we already reported here on HighMotor, the Japanese manufacturer has begun selling the CR-V e:FCEV in its home market through leasing. This new compact SUV is the first plug-in hybrid fuel cell electric vehicle available on the Japanese market, with a total range of 621 kilometres.

The CR-V e:FCEV incorporates the second generation of fuel cells from Honda, which uses a solid polymer and generates 92.2 kW of electricity. It has two tanks storing compressed hydrogen at high pressure (70 MPa): one of 53 litres under the rear seat and another of 56 litres at the rear. These tanks can store approximately 4.3 kg of hydrogen, and can be refilled in just 3 minutes.

This version of the CR-V additionally features a 17.7 kWh lithium-ion battery, which can be recharged using an AC wallbox in approximately two and a half hours at a maximum power of 6.4 kW. With the battery fully charged and the hydrogen tanks full, Honda estimates that the CR-V e:FCEV can travel up to 621 km without stopping at any point. Likewise, the Japanese manufacturer claims that the range provided by the battery alone is about 61 kilometres under the WLTP homologation cycle.

The best of both worlds

As expected, the Japanese version of the CR-V e:FCEV also features a CHAdeMO DC charging port, which is also bidirectional, allowing the vehicle to act as a portable power supply device to power a typical house for approximately four days in an emergency. This energy is drawn from the battery and the fuel cell system.

Furthermore, the MCF91 AC synchronous motor that Honda has integrated into this model produces 130 kW of power and 310 Nm of torque. The driver can also adjust the intensity of the regenerative braking system using paddles on the steering wheel.

Honda manufactures the CR-V e:FCEV at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio (United States). The fuel cell system is supplied by Fuel Cell System Manufacturing, a joint venture created between Honda and GM on a fifty-fifty basis, with production carried out in Brownstown, Michigan. The hydrogen tanks, high-voltage batteries and other components are sourced from various companies in Japan, China and other Asian countries.

Honda offers the CR-V e:FCEV on lease in 36 prefectures of Japan, with a leasing plan based on a retail price of just over 8 million Japanese yen, which at the current exchange rate comes to just under 50,000 euros.

Technical specifications of this car

Off-RoadHonda CR-V4 versions · from 51,545 €