Is the Honda Clarity hydrogen powered?
The hydrogen-powered version is the Clarity Fuel Cell, a dedicated fuel-cell vehicle. The Clarity lineup also included plug-in hybrid and all-electric variants, but Honda has largely scaled back the family in recent years as it shifts focus to broader electrification.
Overview of the Clarity variants
The Clarity was offered in three configurations, each designed to suit different needs while showcasing Honda’s approach to electrified driving. Here is how they differed and where each stood in the market.
Clarity Fuel Cell (hydrogen-powered): Uses a hydrogen fuel-cell stack to generate electricity for the electric motor. Emissions are only water vapor. Availability was limited to select markets in the United States (notably California) through a lease program, with production running in limited volumes through the early 2020s. EPA ratings historically placed its range around the low-to-mid 300s miles per fill, depending on model year, and refueling times were comparable to conventional gasoline vehicles.
Clarity Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV): Combines a gasoline engine with an electric motor and a rechargeable battery. It offered an electric-vehicle range of roughly several dozen miles (typically around 40–50 miles in EPA tests) before switching to hybrid mode, providing longer total range with gasoline. Not hydrogen-powered.
Clarity Electric (BEV): Fully electric variant powered entirely by a battery. It provided an all-electric range that varied by year and trim, generally in the vicinity of tens to around 80 miles on a full charge, with charging depending on the available infrastructure and equipment. Not hydrogen-powered.
In practice, buyers encountered limited availability for the hydrogen version and more widespread, though still regional, options for the plug-in hybrid and BEV.
Current status and market context
As of 2024–2025, Honda has largely retired the Clarity lineup in the U.S. and many other markets. The Clarity Fuel Cell, which was the hydrogen-powered option, was produced and offered in limited numbers and markets earlier in the decade, but ongoing sales and production were phased out. Honda’s broader electrification strategy has focused more on battery-electric and hybrid models rather than fuel-cell vehicles, in part due to refueling infrastructure considerations and market demand.
What this means for hydrogen mobility
The existence of a hydrogen-powered Clarity demonstrated Honda’s early experimentation with fuel-cell technology, but this variant is no longer a mainstream option. If you’re seeking hydrogen-powered vehicles today, you’ll find a much smaller field—primarily a few fuel-cell models from other manufacturers and ongoing research partnerships—while Honda’s current lineup emphasizes BEVs and hybrids.
Summary
In short, the Honda Clarity did offer a hydrogen-powered variant—the Clarity Fuel Cell—but the model line has been largely retired in recent years. Today, Honda’s public-facing offerings focus on plug-in hybrids and battery-electric models rather than fuel-cell vehicles, and hydrogen-powered Clarity availability is no longer widespread. If you’re exploring hydrogen mobility, you’ll need to consider other brands or future fuel-cell initiatives within the industry.
