Honda will skip electric vehicles

[DainBramaged]

One name is conspicuously absent from the electric vehicle hoopla: Honda.

And r&d chief Masaaki Kato says that is for good reason. Honda Motor Co. has no plans to produce electric vehicles.

The battery technology is not ready, he says.

"Nowadays, the most advanced batteries are lithium ion batteries. But even though the size is getting smaller, the density of the energy is still too poor for cars," Kato said.

For the foreseeable future, electric cars will be limited to short-distance city runabouts. By 2015, they will account for less than 1 percent of the market in developed countries, Kato said.

"For personal use, an EV is fine for about 80 percent of your driving, but not for the remaining 20 percent," Kato said here last month.

"So you still need another car to cover all your needs.

"To get the performance of an Accord, in terms of driving range, from today's battery-only drivetrain, we would need to carry 2 tons of batteries. That's no good."

Honda's wariness of electric vehicles contrasts with the optimism of its Japanese competitors.

Nissan, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Sub-aru are planning electric vehicles in the next five years. Those cars will feature lithium ion batteries and have full-charge ranges of around 60 miles.

Today's lithium ion batteries are lighter and more powerful than the nickel-metal hydride batteries used in hybrid vehicles. But Honda thinks the batteries are still not powerful enough to warrant their higher price or make a viable vehicle for all-around driving.

http://www.autonews.com/article/20080908/ANA03/809080320/1186/GREENCARS (subscription only)

The GM Volt will use a small engine to recharge the batteries WHILE driving WITH electric acccessories, giving it an effective range of over 600 miles.. I guess that is too difficult to design for Honda.

[Phred42]

1. EV-1

[Nexus7]

2. To be fair to Honda

Before making snarky comments about Honda vis-a-vis GM (Volt), consider that Honda was among the first few automakers who introduced small fuel-efficient (patriotic) cars around the time of the first oil crisis. They had their hybrid cars on sale years before GM; and they make a hybrid (Civic) that looks the same as the non-hybrid model (and not weird and gratuitously space-shippy like some other hybrids).

I don't get the hybrid hoopla to begin with anyway. We have all the pollution from making a gasoline engine, and on top of that we're going to make batteries with chemicals that are difficult and expensive to make, recycle, or dispose of; and we're going to import it all from a Far East manufacturer.

Four monkeys in the media gush over hybrids and suddenly it is required tree-hugger cred. Nothing more.

But, I digress. Honda is probably right, and even if they're not, they're batting way ahead of bail-out candidate GM. And this after the taxpayers gifted GM (and Ford, and Chrysler) billions to develop alternative vehicles.

[DainBramaged]

4. Another GM expert (bet you aren't Union)

:eyes:

So they had their hybrids years ahead of GM? Ever heard of the EV-1? Don't bother, I forgot, you r an xpert.

[oldhippie]

8. EV-1 wasn't a hybrid .........

..... union expert.

[DainBramaged]

9. We're not talking about hybrids here, or do you need glasses?

[Javaman]

11. I think you need to check your sentence structure...

you stated, "So they had their hybrids years ahead of GM? Ever heard of the EV-1?"

by the logic of that sentence, it appears as if you state that the EV-1 was a hybrid, which it clearly was not.

[DainBramaged]

12. What, you are the grammar police now?

just stop. Fucking DU is becoming stupid.

[Javaman]

14. hey I wasn't the one that wrote a sentence with poor construction.

jesus dude, I was just pointing as to why your thought my not have been perceived correctly.

christ on a pogo stick, a bit touchy aren't we?

screw off.

you are blocked out of principle.

[Nederland]

3. Tesla seems to be able to do it

Incredible performance with a 200+ mile range. Yes, it's expensive, but Honda didn't claim that they weren't doing it because it was too expensive, they claimed they weren't doing it because it wasn't possible.

[DainBramaged]

5. I don't think (IMHO) that the Japanese government will fund an EV for Honda

like they did the hybrid for Toyota, so Honda is not willing to spend their own money. I also bet once the technology is good (2-3 years) the will license it.

[The Croquist]

6. They didn't say that it wasn't possible.

They said it wasn't practical, or more specifically, "that's not good". I trust their judgment.

There are probably lots of people that can drive a car with a 200 mile range but I bet that most are in two or more car families. It might be practical for a commuter car but not for the primary vehicle of the family. The question isn't will it sell but will it sell enough to make a profit?

At times my regular drive was 5 miles round trip to the bus stop. At that time my wife drove the good car and I drove a piece of junk that got 10 miles a gallon. An electric car would have worked but the piece of junk cost me $250.00 and served me for 4 years. Since then the wife is gone and my current (8 year old car) gets 33 miles a gallon. An electric car would be nice but I am not willing to be tied to a plug every 200 miles and I don't want two cars.

[kristopher]

7. I have a lot of respect for Honda, but they are off target on this one.

Someone wrote that EVs are only going to work for 2 car families. That's true. But that is an extremely large segment of the market that will propel the rapid development and deployment of the technology.

[NoFederales]

10. Bring on the 60-70 mpg diesels (VW Polo) or 100mpg...What's the

hold-up and the hand-wringing when renewable, sustainable, non-petrol biodiesel vehicles are out there NOW? What's up with lack of vision and creativity to meet high mpg vehicles, be they diesel, or gas, ICEs, or EVs? American Manufacturers are still touting mid-20 and 30 mpg statistics on new vehicles like it ought to give you a shivering woody and swooning ecstasy.

I've designed, built, and raced EV cars,bikes,and go-karts and love them, but I don't consider them sustainable options. I don't get the hybrid option, either, but then I didn't understand GM fucking up the Impact and renegging on its niche marketability--I would have loved to have had one. To GM, and the other WelfareCorporateNeedy like Ford and Chrysler: don't soil MY union and entrepreneurial parade of desires...........just shape up and quit whining.

NoFederales

[DainBramaged]

13. (sigh) they would already be here (the VDub is coming) but for

differing safety and emissions standards, filler neck standards (yes) seating and options. You can't just make a silk purse out of a petroleum ear