Photo: Acura
Honda's presence in the EV market is close to zero, and that's because the Japanese manufacturer chose to bet on the liquid hydrogen fuel cell as the powertrain of the future almost ten years ago.
Due to the slow advancements and the even slower market adoption, this propulsion system appears to have taken a backseat to battery-powered electric vehicles, and Honda - much like Toyota or Hyundai - can't ignore it any longer.
However, Honda now has to play catch-up with most of the other important brands that have already set out clear targets for their EV development and are at least one year ahead. And that's before we even think about Tesla, which plans - and seems capable of doing it - to release its first mass-market EV next month, before ramping up production to 500,000 units a year by 2018.
Despite lagging behind, Honda is showing clear signs of its commitment to the BEV architecture. Only just last week, the company opened up the most advanced charging station in Europe, placing it in the parking lot of its European Research and Development Center in Offenbach, Germany.
Furthermore, there's also the Acura EV Concept to consider, an NSX-based electric supercar that finished the famous Pikes Peak hill climb. A recent talk with Sekino Yosuke, Honda's head of Research and Development revealed the company isn't at all against the idea of making the next-gen NSX fully electric. And with the success of cars such as the Rimac Concept_One, there's no reason why it shouldn't. Especially since the current NSX is still fresh of the shelf, so that's a pretty distant prospect.
Well, if what Honda President and CEO Hachigo-san says turns out to be correct, we won't have to wait that long for an all-electric Honda model. Talking to AutoExpress, the head of the Japanese company said a new electric Honda model is going to be shown no later than this autumn.
“We will strengthen the development of fuel cell vehicles as well as battery electric vehicles," he said. "In addition to a China-exclusive model scheduled to go on sale in 2018, a dedicated EV model for other regions is under development. We will introduce this model at an auto show this autumn.”
Considering he suggests this mystery model will be dedicated to other countries than China, the most likely venue for this unveiling is the Frankfurt Motor Show, which opens September 14. Whatever the case, Honda may be late to the EV party, but it looks like it's ready to start chugging and make up for the time lost.
However, Honda now has to play catch-up with most of the other important brands that have already set out clear targets for their EV development and are at least one year ahead. And that's before we even think about Tesla, which plans - and seems capable of doing it - to release its first mass-market EV next month, before ramping up production to 500,000 units a year by 2018.
Despite lagging behind, Honda is showing clear signs of its commitment to the BEV architecture. Only just last week, the company opened up the most advanced charging station in Europe, placing it in the parking lot of its European Research and Development Center in Offenbach, Germany.
Furthermore, there's also the Acura EV Concept to consider, an NSX-based electric supercar that finished the famous Pikes Peak hill climb. A recent talk with Sekino Yosuke, Honda's head of Research and Development revealed the company isn't at all against the idea of making the next-gen NSX fully electric. And with the success of cars such as the Rimac Concept_One, there's no reason why it shouldn't. Especially since the current NSX is still fresh of the shelf, so that's a pretty distant prospect.
Well, if what Honda President and CEO Hachigo-san says turns out to be correct, we won't have to wait that long for an all-electric Honda model. Talking to AutoExpress, the head of the Japanese company said a new electric Honda model is going to be shown no later than this autumn.
“We will strengthen the development of fuel cell vehicles as well as battery electric vehicles," he said. "In addition to a China-exclusive model scheduled to go on sale in 2018, a dedicated EV model for other regions is under development. We will introduce this model at an auto show this autumn.”
Considering he suggests this mystery model will be dedicated to other countries than China, the most likely venue for this unveiling is the Frankfurt Motor Show, which opens September 14. Whatever the case, Honda may be late to the EV party, but it looks like it's ready to start chugging and make up for the time lost.
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