The CR-V e:FCEV is a fuel-cell sport utility vehicle that you cannot buy. However, prospective customers are presented with lease options that include hydrogen fuel credits.
$389 per month for six years and $2,889 due at signing is the longest plan available. This option is limited to 72,000 miles (115,873 kilometers) but also comes with $30,000 worth of hydrogen fuel credit divided into yearly allotments.
Two- and three-year lease options are offered as well, with allowable mileage listed as 60,000 and 36,000 miles, respectively. In metric, that's 96,561 and 57,936 kilometers. Their hydrogen fuel credits are $25,000 and $15,000, whereas monthly payments are set at $489 and $459 with $2,989 and $2,959 due at signing. The Japanese automaker claims that said lease options are based on a suggested retail price of $50,000.
As you might have guessed by now, the CR-V e:FCEV is available in California only. 12 dealers can sell this fellow, beginning with six in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, five in the San Francisco Bay Area, and one in the Sacramento area. No purchase option is on the menu.
This variant of the CR-V takes 4.3 kilograms of compressed hydrogen gas, with the fuel tank(s) pressure rated at 10,000 pounds per square inch. It goes without saying that a kilogram of hydrogen is quite a bit pricier than a gallon of dinosaur juice. In addition to pricing, another problem with the much-touted hydrogen initiative is (as far as automobiles are concerned) filling stations.
As per the California Energy Commission, a little over 50 hydrogen passenger retail fuel stations are operational statewide. Peanuts compared to gas stations. And the bad news? Many such hydrogen filling stations aren't refueled often enough.
Photo: Honda
Given the aforementioned, the fuel-cell sport utility vehicle makes sense to lease as long as you already have a combustion-engined or battery-electric daily driver. Think Toyota Camry or Tesla Model 3, whatever may float your boat.
Looking at the bigger picture, the 2025 Honda CR-V e:FCEV does have a few things going for it. For starters, it comes to life at the Ohio-based Performance Manufacturing Center, where Honda used to make the Acura NSX. Secondly, it comes with all the bells and whistles from the outset, including wireless CarPlay and Android Auto.
Highlights further include a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, power-adjustable heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a wireless phone charger, a 12-speaker premium audio system from Bose, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a handsfree access power tailgate. This compact-sized crossover also doubles as a clean power source with the help of the included Honda Power Supply Connector. With it, CR-V e:FCEV is much obliged to power camping equipment, power tools, and home appliances.
Gifted with seating for five peeps, just like your regular CR-V and the hybrid, the fuel-cell variant is front-wheel-drive only. The front-mounted electric motor belts out 174 horsepower and 229 pound-feet (310 Nm) of twist, whereas the high-voltage battery is rated at 17.7 kilowatt hours.
Said battery offers an electric range of 29 miles (47 kilometers) in the EPA's test cycle, whereas total driving range is 270 miles (435 kilometers). In case you can't find hydrogen, fret not because CR-V e:FCEV has Level II charging capability.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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