This Is What We Can Expect From Honda's Bold EV Strategy

Jan. 31, 2022 5:59 PM ET byNikesh Kooverjee Electric Vehicles /4 Comments

The Japanese brand is making major moves to produce zero-emission products.

Compared to other manufacturers,Honda's EV goalsare a bit conservative with it eyeing2040 as its due dateto transition its lineup of cars into a fully electric one. This is a strategy that has already been initiated by products such as theHonda Clarity Plug-In Hybridandfully electric ehatchback. Despite this late due date, it is still one of the first manufacturers to announce that it would be discontinuing the internal combustion engine from its global offering.

Beyond this, the brand has been fairly quiet about what it has planned for its future electromobility offerings but thanks to a new report byNikkei Asia, we now have some idea of what we might expect. It is now apparent that Honda has its eyes set on the Chinese market where it aims to sell 800,000 electric units by 2030. How big is that goal? Well, Honda sold a mere 10,000 EVs in China last year.

The brand's regional operations chief stated that this goal is part of its plan to create a monumental comeback in a region that has become one of the world's most competitive automotive markets. In addition, the brand expressed its plans of introducing fully solid-state battery-driven cars that will be developed in-house.

The solid-state battery has been earmarked by several manufacturers in the sphere as the next generation of energy storage thanks to its capacity and longevity benefits. Honda states that we can expect to see its examples introduced into the market later this decade. Once the technology becomes more established, it will expand its procurement of materials from China and Korea to the USA. This forms part of the joint agreement it currently has with General Motors.

2013-2014 Honda Fit EV Front View Driving

The next major EV product that we can expect from Honda is likely to be a small commercial vehicle which has been penciled in for a 2024 launch date. The reason for this is that the brand wants to implement an effective mass-production system that can lower the price of manufacturing an electric vehicle. To keep costs low, we can expect this EV to use a battery pack that is sourced from China or South Korea. In the US, expect bigger vehicles like thePrologue all-electric SUVto make an impact.

Honda's cautious approach to electrification is due to its beliefs that the globaldemand for EVs is not as highas what other manufacturers may believe. It has also previously noted concerns regarding the government's reaction to implementing financial incentives for companies that do notmanufacture products in the USA. Regardless, the brand is dedicated to its zero-emission strategy.