Over time and the more electric cars are built and sold, the cheaper the prices should become. But especially in the starting segment with the lower purchase prices, electric drivers have to pay a lot of money for the environmental advantage. That won’t change any time soon, as a leading Honda executive reveals. Unless manufacturers dare to take the next step.
E-cars without a price advantage: Honda sees tough times ahead
Especially thanks to the environmental bonus, e-cars were and are not only the more environmentally conscious alternative to cars with combustion engines for many buyers, but also the cheaper ones. At least that’s true in a certain price range. However, it is particularly the case with small and compact cars still difficult to get a good deal. Equivalent combustion engines are often cheaper.
On top of that, the environmental bonus will decrease in a few months, while the purchase prices not only at the supermarket checkout, but also for electric cars, currently only know one direction: further upwards. That E-cars will soon be cheaper than combustion enginesDave Gardner, vice president of sales at Honda America, doesn’t see it coming.
The reason: “We don’t believe that the current lithium-ion technology is the long-term solution. Solid state batteries will be game changers for us” (Source: The Drive via Insideevs). Honda is not alone in this, many car and battery manufacturers are researching solid-state batteries ready for series production. The benefits, in addition to faster charging and greater range, are lower battery costs.
So far, only the small Honda e is fully electric:
Finally cheap Stromer? Solid-state batteries should make a difference
At Honda, they should ensure that e-cars at entry-level prices are “close to what a nice car costs”. But it will take a while until then. There is not yet a point in time when the switch to solid-state batteries could take place. It is not to be expected that Honda will be faster than the competition.
For example, NIO is not planning an extremely long range for the ET7 until 2024. The electric limousine is to be the first model from the Chinese manufacturer to come to Germany this year. Honda, on the other hand, already has an electric car on the market: the Honda e. However, he has not yet become a high-flyer. Other models are still awaited. In the race for the solid-state battery, Honda is likely to be far behind.