Honda will close the Japan-based factory that makes it.
The entire Clarity line played an important role in Honda’s portfolio approach towards electrification. This is an important part of our commitment to reducing CO2 emissions.
Honda has committed to carbon neutrality by 2050 and set a goal to have 100% of its vehicles sold as battery-electric (BEV/FCEV) by 2040.
We are reorganizing our strategy to increase the use of our two-motor hybrid system in core models ahead of the introduction in 2024 of our first volume BEV model.
In line with this strategy Honda will end production of the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid in August 2021. Honda will continue to support Clarity customers on the market and will make the Clarity Fuel Cell available for leasing through 2022.
Our zero emission strategy will be based on FCEVs. This is being supported by our joint manufacturing-development agreements. We are continuing to invest in battery technology and fuel cell infrastructure.
The Clarity Fuel Cell and Clarity Plug In Hybrid will be discontinued by Honda later in the year, as the Nikkei reported. The Japanese factory in Sayama will also be closing by March 2022. Motor1.com reached out to Honda in order to confirm that these models will be available on the US market.
It’s not surprising that the Clarity Fuel cell has been lost. There are significant difficulties with hydrogen adoption in America. An analysis of the market by Inside Electric Vehicles showed that there were less than 1,000 electric fuel cell vehicles in America in 2020 compared to 2,089 in 2019. The total number of hydrogen models sold in the last nine years was just 8,931.
The Honda Legend and Odyssey will be discontinued if the Sayama factory is closed. The American-market Odyssey units are made in Honda’s Alabama plant so availability in the US will not be affected. Acura has already taken the RLX (the American version) out of its lineup for 2020.
Already Honda has canceled the Clarity Electric for 2020. In the US, 11,654 units were sold in 2019, and only 4,215 in 2020. Only California and Oregon had the EV, while California only had the Fuel Cell. Only the PHEV version was available in the United States.
The Honda Clarity Fuel Cell model was the first to be released. The Honda Clarity Fuel Cell was first introduced for American markets at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show. It went on sale in 2017 for the model year. At the 2017 New York Auto Show, the EV and PHEV versions were unveiled in America.