Honda debuted its Next Generation Fuel Cell Module and Fuel Cell Power Generator at a convention in Tokyo. Production of the automotive fuel cell module is expected to begin in the 2027 fiscal year (which goes through the first quarter of 2028), and production of the generator will kick off in 2026.
The Next Generation Fuel Cell Module is a direct successor to the current fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) module Honda uses that was co-developed with General Motors. This new alternative fuel powertrain is developed entirely in-house by the Japanese motor giant with no input from GM.
Honda claims its next-gen FCEV module, rated at about 200 horsepower, will have half the production cost, more than double the durability, and more than three times the volumetric power density than the GM co-developed powertrain it’s replacing. If all of those claims are accurate, it could make fuel cell powertrains much more viable in production vehicles.
What about the Honda CR-V e:FCEV arriving this summer, which uses a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain developed in partnership with GM? When it launches, this Ohio-built crossover will be unique in the U.S. market as the only plug-in FCEV. It’s a plug-in hybrid with a 29-mile all-electric range, but instead of an ICE engine, it’s powered by a fuel-cell powertrain when the battery is depleted. The hydrogen fuel cells for the CR-V e:FCEV are produced by Fuel Cell System Manufacturing LLC (FCSM), a GM/Honda joint venture, at the Brownstown Battery Assembly Plant in Brownstown, Michigan.
2025 Honda CR-V e:FCEV
“The fuel cells that are being jointly developed with GM for use in stationary power sources and CR-Vs will continue to be manufactured in a joint venture with GM,” Honda spokesman Tsubasa Yoshioka told Automotive News. “As for whether we will provide GM with the technology for the next-generation fuel cell announced this time, we have no plans to do so at this time.”
“GM and Honda continue to work together to manufacture fuel cells in Brownstown Township, and we continue to discuss collaboration opportunities,” a GM spokesperson said in an e-mail to Automotive News.
So, the most likely scenario is the CR-V e:FCEV living out its current generation with no major changes. At some point down the road, the current CR-V e:FCEV will likely be replaced by a next-gen fuel cell model that’s all Honda. The plug-in FCEV version of the CR-V will be lease-only and California-only in the U.S. when it launches in July, but a replacement with Honda’s new in-house FCEV system could be more widely available, depending on America’s refueling infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles at the time.
Comments
Wow, I didn’t think my nap was that long. I missed their first generation hydrogen fuel cell.
Too many things to pay attention to.
Honda isn’t on the top of my list.
Pay attention America. Don’t go to sleep with dependence on oil and try to stifle anything else. Keep improving EVs and developing new greener, more efficient vehicles or we will permanently cede the market to innovative countries.
Yeah, except that it’s the opposite. They want to force us away from oil/gas and are using regulations that ICE can’t meet and in some cases flat out “No ICE mandates” to do so.
You know what resources the US has in abundance and at low cost? Oil and natural gas, if we’re allowed to use it.
You know what resources China has in abundance and at low cost? Coal to generate electricity and rare earth minerals to create batteries.
Hydrogen vehicles Lol
No wonder Honda is in trouble.