- Honda is taking on Pike’s Peak in an almost showroom-spec, hydrogen-fueled CR-V.
- The few changes include lowered suspension, Yoko tires and a full roll cage for safety.
- No mods were made to the single, front-mounted electric motor or 17.7 kWh battery.
Thousands of Honda CR-Vs must have clawed their way up Colorado’s Pikes Peak in the last 25 years, but not on race weekend. That changes this year when Honda tackles the legendary hill climb in a 2025 CR-V, but the fact that it’s an SUV is the least interesting thing about it.
The reason the CR-V is making Pikes Peak history has nothing to do with its body style – there’s an entire category for SUVs these days – and everything to do with what’s going on under the hood. Because the CR-V is a fuel-cell version and the first ever hydrogen car to race at Pikes Peak.
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Honda is no stranger to breaking new ground at this event. In 1994 it won the first ever EV class, taking on the 14,115 ft (4,300 m) mountain in a converted Civic. This time it’s running the 12.42-mile (20 km), 156-turn course in a virtually showroom stock CR-V e:FCEV in the Exhibition Class.
We say virtually, because naturally some concessions to safety have been made, plus a few mods to stop it falling off the road and needing those safety provisions. So the stripped interior gets a full roll cage and racing seat and harnesses, and the chassis is upgraded with a 1-inch (25 mm) suspension drop, racing brake pads, lightweight wheels and grippy 265/45R18 Yokohama Advan A052 tires.
The work was carried out by Honda Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio with the help of Honda of America Race Team (HART).
But Honda has made no changes to the hydrogen fuel cell powertrain, which is the same one fitted to the e:FCEV models that debuted in US dealerships last year as a lease-only deal. The setup consists of a single, front-mounted electric motor putting out 174 hp (130 kW / 176 PS) and 229 lb-ft (311 Nm) of torque, a 17.7 kWh battery pack and two high pressure hydrogen tanks.
Honda quotes an EPA driving range of 270 miles (435 km) when fueled by hydrogen or 29 miles (47 km) when used as a EV. The idea behind neat EV trick is to help alleviate range anxiety worries arising from the woeful lack of hydrogen fuel stations in the US.
According to the US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center there are precisely zero such stations in Colorado, so it’s a good job that Honda has Zero Emission Industries’ (ZEI) suitcase-sized portable hydrogen refueling station (and a bigger trailer-mounted tank) on hand to keep it juiced up for the runs.
