A new report suggests that Honda will bring an end to its combustion engine cars by the end of 2040 as it embarks on a achieving total carbon neutrality by 2050. This will also allow the Japanese brand to advance its development of its zero-emission powertrains.
According to Autocar, company president Toshihiro Mibe revealed a number of ambitious objectives in a recent press conference. Mibe solidified the brand’s commitment to leading “advancements which will be made in the areas of mobility, the power unit, energy and robotics.”
By 2050, it is Honda’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality across “all products and corporate activates”. This will see it shift focus to developing environmentally friendly powertrains and overhauling its supply chain to make sure that products are cast from 100 per cent sustainable materials.
Honda has already confirmed that it would only offer electrified products in Europe by the end of 2022. By 2030, it plans for 40 per cent of its sales to be pure-electric or fuel cell vehicles. The goal is for this to rise to 80 per cent by 2035 and 100 per cent by 2040.
Specific goals for its European market strategy is yet to be detailed but, together with General Motors, its North American electrification efforts will be accelerated. Within China, 10 new Honda-badged EVs will be launched within the next five years.
In the second half of this decade, Honda confirms that it will launch a range of EVs using its e:Architecture platform, the first of which will arrive in the USA before being rolled out to other regions.
In order to make these EVs competitive, Honda will be conducting research into solid-state batteries which provide increased capacity over lithium ion modules. The aim is to get this going by the second half of this decade as well.
All-in, it’s understood that Honda will be spending £33,5 billion (R662,5 billion) in research and development over the next six years. It has pledged to take necessary measures, including alliances, as quickly as possible.
Mibe said: “As of last fiscal year, we enabled Honda research and development to focus on the research of advanced technologies, and we are conducting research on leading-edge environmental and safety technologies for the realisation of a society that aims for zero environmental impact and a collision-free society’”
“Also, we are making progress with research on technologies which will expand mobility into the third and fourth dimensions, into the skies, the ocean, outer space and the area of robotics. We will strengthen our original research of technologies by ensuring optimal allocation of resources into the area of advanced and cutting-edge technologies.” He ended.
