The Honda CR‑V e:FCEV will be the first hydrogen-powered vehicle to compete at the iconic “Race to the Clouds” – The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Japanese automaker announced on Friday.
Prepped for competition by engineers at Honda of America Race Team (HART), Honda R&D Japan, and Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US), the CR‑V e:FCEV will take on the challenging 156-turn, 12.42-mile mountain course on June 22, driven by Pikes Peak class-winner, two-time Formula Drift champion, and HRC US driver Dai Yoshihara.
The production 2025 CR‑V e:FCEV will compete in the “exhibition class” without modifications to its zero-emissions powertrain, which includes the second-generation Honda fuel cell system produced at Fuel Cell System Manufacturing, LLC (FCSM) in Michigan, a front-mounted single-motor, 17.7 kWh battery pack, and two high-pressure hydrogen tanks.
The CR‑V e:FCEV is hand-built at the Honda Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio, and is the only fuel cell electric passenger vehicle made in America, and the first to pair hydrogen fuel cell with plug-in hybrid technology. For competition, the only modifications from stock are a 1-inch lowered suspension, racing brake pads, light weight 18-inch wheels and 265/45R18 Yokohama Advan A052 tires. HART also equipped the CR‑V e:FCEV with a racing seat and safety cage, custom-fabricated into the vehicle by Honda engineers at HART and PMC.
Hydrogen fueling for the CR‑V e:FCEV will be provided by Zero Emission Industries (ZEI) during the event. The company’s new FTcase, a portable hydrogen refueling solution barely larger than carry-on luggage, can transform any gaseous hydrogen supply into a complete hydrogen fueling station, allowing a single operator without hydrogen expertise to fuel safely and efficiently.
Known as the Race to the Clouds due to the 14,115-foot summit in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is one of America’s longest running motorsports competitions. Since 1916, drivers from all over the world race against the clock in a wide variety of vehicles and from multiple motorsports disciplines as they take on the grueling mountain course, which begins at 9,390 feet.
Honda has a long history of zero-emissions competition at Pikes Peak, dating back to 1994 when the company entered into the first-ever “EV Class”. That year, driver Katy Endicott propelled an EV-converted Honda Civic wagon to a 1st place finish in the EV Class (15:44.7). Five years later, Honda again entered the EV Class with a race-prepared EV Plus, and again took first in the class (15:19.9). In 2014, an all-electric Honda Fit won the EV-Class yet again, and also set a new race record for an EV (12:55.6).
In 2015, a four-motor EV concept based on the Honda CR‑Z placed first in the Exhibition Class with an impressive 10:23.8 run time. Honda further improved the four-motor EV technology for 2016 where the NSX-bodied concept shattered the previous model’s time and nearly broke the 9-minute barrier (9:06.1).
The 2025 Honda CR‑V e:FCEV has a driving range of 270 miles. It combines the U.S.-made fuel cell system with plug-in charging capability designed to provide up to 29 miles of EV driving around town with the flexibility of fast hydrogen refueling for longer trips.
Currently available for customer leasing in California, the CR‑V e:FCEV is the first application of the second-generation Honda fuel cell system, offering improved durability, higher efficiency, increased refinement and lower cost compared to the previous generation Honda fuel cell system.
Dai Yoshihara has competed at Pikes Peak five times, including an Unlimited Class win in 2020 and a second-place finish in the Exhibition Class in 2022. The Formula Drift champion began racing for Honda in 2023 in the TC America Championship where he won multiple races and finished 4th overall for the season. Dai has raced a Civic Type R TCR in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge class since 2024.
