Japan’s Honda outlines global strategy for electric vehicles

Tokyo –Honda is gearing up for an electrified shift in North America, with two models developed with General Motors launching next year, and a larger EV with a new platform in 2025, a year after its initial announcement It will be released soon.

Honda President Toshihiro Sambe said Wednesday as he unveiled a wide range of initiatives aimed at putting Honda on the world’s EV map, saying, “We believe society will increasingly value being environmentally friendly. there is,” he said.

Sanbe told reporters that Tokyo-based Honda will pursue investments and partnerships to realize such goals.

Honda has set a goal for all models worldwide to be electric or fuel cell, running on hydrogen and free of emissions, by 2040. By 2030, we aim to produce more than 2 million EVs per year.

In Japan, where EV demand is gradually picking up, an EV based on the small model N-ONE will be released in 2025. Two more EV models are planned for next year.

In China, the world’s largest EV market, Honda has three EV models slated for launch next year, the e:NS2, e:NP2, and a concept unveiled in a recent EV. Shanghai Motor Show.

By 2027, Honda plans to introduce seven more EV models in China. By 2035, Honda aims to have 100% electric sales in China, ahead of other regions.

all car manufacturers in the world serious work on electric vehicles, It is now dominated by Tesla and China’s BYD. As governments move to curb emissions and climate change, even previously skeptical consumers are starting to buy EVs, especially in the US and China, but also parts of Europe and Australia.

The big problem is that Japanese manufacturers like Honda Toyota Motor Corporation, They can dominate the market just like they have historically done with gas guzzlers.

Some analysts say cars are still cars, and the wealth of know-how that comes with car manufacturing is still valid in the new electric age. Others argue that it’s a whole new ball game, with a wealth of opportunities for new players.

Toyota’s EV bZ4X, which went on sale last year, was recalled shortly thereafter after it had a defective wheel hub bolt that could have dislodged the wheel and led to an accident. Around 2,700 vehicles have been recalled worldwide. No crashes have been reported and the model is for sale.

But when it broke new ground with its flagship model, it was a poignant reminder of such pitfalls. I relied on batteries.

Koji Sato, president of Toyota He took office this month and acknowledged that Toyota has fallen behind in selling EVs around the world.

A major drawback to the widespread adoption of EVs is their heavy batteries, which is a challenge in vehicle development. Components such as rare earths required for battery manufacturing are expensive.

Honda plans to leverage its strategic partnership with Japanese trading house Hanwa to secure a stable supply of nickel, cobalt and lithium for its batteries, Sanbe said.

In North America, Honda will use batteries from a joint venture between General Motors and South Korea’s LG Energy Solutions. Honda will produce electric models in the US at his three plants in Ohio, including the Marysville plant.

Under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by President Joe Biden last year, an EV must be assembled in North America to qualify for the full tax credit, and a certain percentage of its battery components and minerals must be imported from North America or the U.S. must be sourced from free trade. Partner.

Honda is also working on developing all-solid-state batteries for EVs, Mibe said. EVs currently run mainly on lithium-ion batteries.

Honda’s 2025 platform is called the ‘E&E Architecture’. It stands for “electric and electronic” and refers to the software, connectivity and services that work while driving and are updated over time. Automakers compete in this field.

Mibe said Honda has dealt with a shortage of computer chips that recently hit all automakers. Honda has reached a basic agreement with his TSMC in Taiwan, the world’s largest semiconductor maker, to prepare for such future shortages.

“We want to lead the world in environmentally friendly manufacturing,” Mibet said. ___ Contributed by his AP journalist Tom Krisher in Detroit.

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