Is Honda introducing a new Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle?

Honda is one of a few brands with a history in the hydrogen fuel cell sector of the automobile industry. With the massive advancement and expansion of electrification across the industry, the use of hydrogen is being revisited and explored by companies all over the world. Recently, Arata Ichinose and Tetsuya Hasebe, a pair of executives at Honda Motor Company, sat down to have a discussion about the future of hydrogen and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) at the automaker. So, will Honda be introducing a new FCEV model? Let’s find out.

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The short answer is yes, Honda is planning to launch a next-generation electric vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells, but that lends itself to a larger question – why is Honda turning back to hydrogen at this point in time? That’s one of the questions that these two gentlemen answered.

Why hydrogen?

A massive goal for industries all over the globe in many different sectors is achieving carbon neutrality. This will go a long way towards healing the environment, and it is widely expected that hydrogen will play a crucial role in reaching that achievement. While renewable energy sources like solar and wind power are great alternatives, they are largely dependent on favorable weather. Hydrogen fuel cells offer a great solution to these downtimes. It offers a way for the electricity generated by these renewable sources to be stored.

History of Honda FCEVs

This upcoming vehicle, whatever it may be, will not be the brand’s first foray into the world of fuel cell electric vehicles. The automaker first jumped into the vehicle back in 1998 with the Honda Prototype, a concept vehicle that was used in research and development. This was followed up in 2002 by the FCX, which was officially the world’s first FCEV. This was then followed again by the FCX Clarity, which was in turn the world’s first mass-produced dedicated FCEV with its own production line. Finally, the Clarity Fuel Cell was introduced in 2015.

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What can we expect from the next-gen Honda FCEV?

While we’re still very much in the earliest stages of the brand’s next-generation fuel cell EV, we do know that it will be coming in 2024. Whether that means it will be announced in 2023 for the 2024 model year or it won’t be announced until sometime in the ‘24 calendar year remains to be seen, but we’ll be eagerly sitting on the edge of our seats in anticipation.