Honda Motor Co. will build a fuel cell electric version of its sixth generation CR-V compact crossover starting in 2024.
In addition to using fuel cell technology, which promises quick refueling and generous range, the vehicle will feature a plug that will enable drivers to charge the onboard battery for electricity-powered trips around town.
The Japanese automaker will produce the vehicles at its Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio. Honda did not say how many CR-V fuel cell vehicles it expects to build, but the facility is used for assembling lower-volume products and specialty performance vehicles such as the hybrid Acura NSX supercar, which ceased production there this month.
Honda, the world’s largest maker of gasoline engines, has set an aggressive goal to reach carbon neutrality for its operations and products by 2050, which includes a complete electrification of its vehicle lineup by 2040.
The production of fuel cells in the U.S. will help Honda “further explore their great potential as part of a sustainable transportation future,” Gary Robinson, American Honda Motor Co.’s vice president of auto planning and strategy, said in a statement.
The 2024 target date for the CR-V fuel cell coincides with the launch of Honda’s first battery-electric vehicle, the Prologue midsize crossover, which will be built in collaboration with General Motors.
In the meantime, Honda will offer hybrid variants of its top-selling CR-V, Accord and Civic to drive down emissions and ready its customers for electrification. While it has debuted the CR-V hybrid, it expects to launch a hybrid Accord in January. The Civic hybrid plan is still forthcoming.
Fuel cell vehicles use a high-pressure hydrogen tank to generate electricity inside fuel cells, which powers the vehicle’s electric motor. While the act of refueling is comparable to filling up a gas tank both in time and process, the lack of hydrogen refueling stations has proved challenging for automakers such as Honda and Toyota, which are developing the technology.
The country’s hydrogen network has so far been focused on the West Coast, clustered primarily in California. Honda says it has invested $14 million to support the infrastructure in the Golden State, which has forged a pathway for zero-emission vehicles.
Since 2013, Honda has been part of the H2USA private-public partnership with other automakers, hydrogen suppliers and the fuel cell industry to find a cost-effective way to build out an infrastructure that will deliver affordable and clean hydrogen fuel in the U.S.
One Ford F-150 Lightning owner was charging his truck at an Electrify America fast charger a few days ago when he reportedly heard a “loud pop” after which his vehicle would not move. It apparently happened in Newport, Oregon (according to the decals on the tow truck that came to pick up the bricked Lightning), which is some 1,000 miles away from the owner’s home, when he and his family (including two dogs) were on holiday.
Eric Roe explains that he did not do anything out of the ordinary, following the standard procedure to get one of these vehicles to fast-charge. In a tweet he notes that he “plugged the Lightning to the EA Charger, started to charge, heard a loud boom, and the charger went dark and the Lightning threw up a bunch of error codes and wouldn’t start. Couldn’t even shift into neutral” and “the tow truck driver had to drag the car out of the spot.”
MotorTrend reached out to Electrify America for clarification on this situation and got a reply back from the charging network operator that it was “investigating the unfortunate issue experienced by Eric Roe and have reached out to him.” Apparently, when Mr. Roe reached out to Ford about his issue, they told him nothing could be done before December 9, but then a Ford spokesperson found out about the story and “was escalating to the engineering experts quickly” to speed things up.
Interestingly, Ford got back to Mr. Roe after taking the truck from him to say that it first needed to have its 12-volt battery replaced, otherwise they would be unable to diagnose the problem. He mentioned this in another tweet when he said “the dealership got it in the bay, and are now saying the 12-volt is dead, but it was working when we were sitting in it after the issue. They won’t do anything until they get the replacement 12-volt.”
According to MotorTrend, Electrify America did not provide a timeline for when its investigation into what happened would conclude, but it was actively working on it. At first glance it sounds like the charger supplied more current than the vehicle was able to handle and it may have gone into a protection mode to keep the battery pack from getting damaged.
We will update this story when when Electrify America has news about the matter – we have also reached out to both Ford and EA, but so far have not heard back.
A central Florida woman was killed Saturday while participating in a test drive of a 2023 Nissan Rogue from dealership HillNissan in Winter Haven, Fla.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said on Twitter that the victim, 76-year-old Jean Worme, was a passenger in the vehicle that was making a left to pull back into the dealership, crossing into the path of a 2007 Nissan Murano, causing the fatal crash at around 5:42 p.m. local time.
The driver, 86-year-old Clifford Worme, suffered minor injuries, and a sales representative sitting in the back seat was uninjured, a sheriff’s office release said. The driver of the Murano that Worme collided with was also uninjured.
While Clifford and Jean Worme shared a last name and address, investigators have not determined their relationship at the time of publication.
Hill Nissan did not immediately respond to Automotive News‘ request for comment.
Lancia’s sole model at present is a subcompact hatch known as the Ypsilon. However, in more prosperous times, the historic Italian marque was churning out iconic rides like the Stratos, Delta HF, and of course the Aurelia.
The Aurelia was a high-end nameplate built during the 1950s. It was available in multiple body styles, including a coupe, a version of which was featured in a recent episode of “Jay Leno’s Garage.”
The coupe is a 1954 Aurelia owned by Tex Otto. He’s extensively modified the car, but rather than go with a period look and feel, he’s gone with his own concoction, resulting in what’s commonly known as an “outlaw.” The term which grew in popularity following the multiple Porsche 356 Outlaws built by Rod Emory and his crew at Emory Motorsports in North Hollywood.
But Lancias are rare, especially on this side of the Atlantic, meaning many brand purists will have a hard time accepting that Otto chopped up the body of an Aurelia coupe to create his outlaw. However, the body on Otto’s car was apparently in such bad shape that, according to him, it probably wouldn’t have ended up being restored.
Lancia today is part of Stellantis, and the multinational automaker plans to restore the brand with three new models to be launched between 2024 and 2028. And like most of Stellantis’ brands, Lancia’s future lies in electric mobility. By 2028, Lancia will exclusively offer electric vehicles.
Don’t expect Stellantis to bring Lancia to the U.S. Lancia for now is focused on the European market, where it aims to compete in the premium sector.
The Hellcat drivetrain will always be remembered, but the General Mayhem will never die. On this episode of Roadkill Garage, the legendary ’68 Dodge Charger known as General Mayhem gets stripped of its 707-hp Hellcat engine and all the accompanying electronics as Freiburger and Dulcich vow to take it from the dragstrip setup back to its motorhome 440-powered V-8 and gravel-chucking roots.
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