Honda plans to eliminate gasoline engines from its lineup of cars by 2040. The company announced a series of smaller goals building toward that date in a press conference this morning with new CEO Toshihiro Mibe.
Honda currently sells a selection of hybrids, including the Insight, and hybrid versions of the Accord and CR-V, in the U.S., as well as a plug-in hybrid, the Clarity. But the company offers no pure electric vehicles (EVs) on the U.S. market. Overseas, it sells one – the small urban Honda e runabout. Honda also offers a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered version of the Clarity for lease (but not sale) in California, where almost all of America’s hydrogen refueling stations are found.
But the company plans to sell two EVs, both SUVs, built in partnership with GM, for the 2024 model year. One will sell as a Honda, the other an Acura.
New EV Platform
In the second half of the decade, Honda will roll out its own EV platform, known as e:Architecture, which will be the basis of a full lineup of EVs, Mibe said. From there, it hopes to hit an escalating set of targets. By 2030, the company wants 40 percent of its sales in major markets to consist of either electric or hydrogen-powered cars. That figure will double to 80 percent by 2035. That sets the stage for a full phase-out of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2040, Mibe explained.
The company also set ambitious goals of achieving carbon neutrality, for both its corporate operations and the cars it builds, and achieving zero traffic fatalities in new Honda cars and motorcycles, by 2050.
Mibe said Honda is working on a solid-state battery. This technology promises dramatically longer driving ranges and shorter recharging times than today’s EV batteries. Honda hopes to unveil its version before 2030.
Many automakers have set targets for eliminating gasoline-powered cars from their lineups. Honda’s 2040 date is one of the later deadlines we’ve seen but may ultimately prove more realistic. No matter how fast automakers move in building new EVs, plans to eliminate gasoline-powered cars will succeed or fail based on how fast worldwide infrastructure to support EVs can grow. Even more important is customer acceptance.
“The hurdles are quite high,” Mibe said, “but I think we can get them. The fact that we have set targets clearly is the first step toward that goal.”
