IT home January 15 news, Honda believes that in the “battery electric car era” fully opened, hydrogen fuel cell technology will play an important role in the future passenger car market. As a long-term supporter of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, Honda launched the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell sedan FCX Clarity as early as 2008, and launched the second generation model between 2017 and 2022.
Honda recently partnered with General Motors to launch a hydrogen fuel cell version based on the CR-V chassis in the U.S. and Japan. In an interview with AutoCar, Inoue Katsushi, head of Honda’s electrification division, said that FCEVs (fuel cell vehicles) have the potential to become an important part of Honda’s global product line.
Inoue Katsushi believes that battery electric vehicles will be the first to become popular, while hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are the next stage of development. He said that the hydrogen fuel cell era may take some time and that 2040 may be more realistic than 2030.
It’s worth noting that Honda has previously said that by 2040, all of its vehicle sales will come from battery-electric or hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, but did not disclose the exact percentage. Currently, Honda has no plans to introduce any hydrogen fuel cell models in its new EV lineup, the 0 Series.
Katsuhiro Inoue said that the low sales of the first-generation Clarity don’t mean the market will never accept the model. “At that time, the infrastructure was not good enough and the model was in the experimental stage, and the cost was too high.” He says, “But that wasn’t our only commercial consideration — FCEV powertrains will definitely be more widely used in commercial vehicles, but it will take time.”
He believes Honda’s next-generation hydrogen fuel cell system is competitive enough and will announce more details in the coming months. Katsutoshi Inoue said that the larger-scale popularization of FCEV vehicles requires the combined support of infrastructure, supply chain and market demand, which is why Honda is first applying hydrogen fuel cell technology to commercial vehicles and the industrial sector.
IT House notes that Honda previously partnered with Isuzu to develop a new FCEV truck called the Giga Fuel Cell, and recently began testing its prototype on public roads, which is scheduled to go on sale in 2027.
Honda is also working with Mitsubishi and chemical company Tokuyama Co. on a project to develop a power station that will run on fuel cells from recycled vehicles. Honda says the project aims to “reduce the economic burden on customers when installing and operating stationary fuel cell systems, and contribute to the decarbonization of electricity.”
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe also said, “We think fuel cell technology can be applied to heavier vehicles, not just passenger cars.” He said Honda will use hydrogen fuel for “large vehicles or non-transportation areas” because “most of them use diesel, which can be replaced by fuel cells.”
Toyota has also shifted the focus of its fuel cell business to commercial vehicles and industrial applications, and the company’s technology chief, Hiroki Nakajima, recently attributed low sales of the Mirai sedan to weak hydrogen fueling infrastructure: “We tried the Mirai, but it didn’t work,” he said. “There are very few hydrogen fueling stations, which is difficult to implement, so Mirai sales are small.” Toyota, however, recently launched a hydrogen fuel cell version of its Crown limousine in Japan.
Meanwhile, Hyundai hopes to “universalize hydrogen fueling” by 2040, partly by ensuring that FCEVs achieve price parity with BEVs by the end of the decade.
