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Honda has unveiled details of its electrification plan and promises at least two “zero-emission” sports cars, strong batteries and a new platform for electric vehicles by 2030.
Honda has unveiled the main lines of its electrification strategy by committing to achieve annual production volumes of electric vehicles of more than two million units by 2030. The Japanese manufacturer is also focusing its research on solid-state batteries and announces that it is working on the development of two fully electric sports cars.
If Honda says it’s aiming for “carbon neutrality” by 2050, the manufacturer claims that a “a multi-dimensional approach to electrification is needed, not a simple replacement of heat engines by electric motors”. Several avenues are mentioned, including the development of hydrogen powertrains that could gradually replace internal combustion models. Honda also announces that it will launch 30 new purely electric vehicles worldwide by 2030 and produce more than two million of these vehicles.
Two athletes on the program
This plan foresees an expenditure of more than 37 billion euros and includes an all-electric successor to the Honda NSX supercar as well as a new GT-oriented model. “Honda has always had a passion to provide pleasure to its customers”declares the builder, who promises that he “will continue to offer sportsmanship and distinctive features”.
Today, the third generation Honda NSX is a 573 hp hybrid sports car equipped with a mid-mounted V6 that will cease production at the end of 2022. Honda will therefore ensure a future in the niche. supercars and will be able to do battle with Lexus, which has announced an electric sequel to the LFA, Nissan, which is planning a Max Out or even Subaru, which is teasing around a 1073 hp STI E-RA.
In parallel, in North America, Honda will launch two electric SUVs (Segment C and D) in partnership with General Motors in 2024 and, three years later, a range of “affordable” electric vehicles whose cost and autonomy will be aligned. on those of thermal cars.
In China, Honda will launch 10 new electric vehicles by 2027, and in its home market of Japan, the automaker will start with a small commercial electric vehicle priced around €7,000 before launching larger passenger cars. large, including a new electric SUV.
The first details of the European rollout of the brand’s electric vehicles were given a few weeks ago with an SUV the size of the Honda HR-V in 2023 and a target of 40% of EV and fuel cell EV sales. by 2030 in Europe. Honda aims to end sales of thermal cars worldwide by 2040.
Strong batteries
In addition, Honda currently sources lithium-ion batteries from various suppliers around the world: General Motors, an EV development partner, supplies its Ultium batteries which will be used in future Honda EVs marketed in the United States, CATL supplies the automaker’s Chinese operations and Envision AESC will power Honda’s small EVs marketed in Japan.
But the manufacturer is aiming to bring its own solid-state battery technology to market, investing the equivalent of 314 million euros in the construction of a production line which should be operational in the spring of 2024. honda’s ambition is to bring electric vehicles powered by solid-state batteries to market in the second half of this decade. As a reminder and to put it simply, solid-state batteries have the advantage of having reduced weight, size and charging time, but they are still very expensive to produce at the moment.
Strengthen connectivity
Finally, Honda plans from 2026 to deploy a new “e:Architecture” EV platform which will be equipped with the brand’s latest generation of Sensing autonomous driving. The improved connectivity provided by the e:Architecture platform would play an important role in Honda’s future strategy as it would enable revenue diversification with a portfolio of assets ranging from hardware to software.