Does Honda Lack “Clarity” on Their Thoughts About Plug-in Vehicles?

16 Responses to “Does Honda Lack “Clarity” on Their Thoughts About Plug-in Vehicles?”

1. 
   
   Drake Says:
   December 19th, 2007 at 12:27 pm

   FTA: “I do not understand why people see value in plug-in (hybrids),” he said. “I cannot understand the rational for (developing) plug-ins.”

   Wow, talk about a CEO that lacks vision and a company that is setting itself up for failure.

2. 
   
   Daniel Says:
   December 19th, 2007 at 12:38 pm

   I think that unfortunately for him and Honda, he’s missing out on an opportunity.

   Electric cars “make sense” to the general public, and in return will sell really well.

   I’m excited to buy some more GM stock, because it’s relatively cheap now, and I see it going up within the next 10 years.

3. 
   
   Pat Says:
   December 19th, 2007 at 1:10 pm

   Could it be say one thing and doing the other…..?

4. 
   
   Brian M Says:
   December 19th, 2007 at 1:31 pm

   I think they are putting all their eggs in the hydrogen basket, and it’s a mistake. I think in the future it will become apparent that batteries an/or capacitors are a much better way of carrying energy than hydrogen.

   Luckily for Honda, the powertrain of a hydrogen vehicle is nearly identical to that of a PHEV or BEV. Swap out the fuel cell for a range extender or battery pack/capacitor bank and change up some software, tweak the hardware design, and there you have it. But they will still be behind GM and others if they are focusing only on hydrogen.

5. 
   
   John D Says:
   December 19th, 2007 at 1:44 pm

   I think the issue is how Honda sees its self. I was talking to a Honda rep a year ago, asking about the future of the Insight since I have one. I wanted to know if they would make a EV only model. They said they see them their focus as an Engine maker first. They take great pride in how reliable their engines are and Cars are just a means to sell engines. Electric motors, to them aren’t worth the time.

6. 
   
   Jim G Says:
   December 19th, 2007 at 1:50 pm

   I don’t know where Kent got that quote, but the news that I read today paints a different picture:

   http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/19/news/international/honda_hybrids.ap/index.htm

   The article is about Honda rolling out a new hybrid in ‘09, and includes the quote, “‘The competition in hybrids has just begun,’ Fukui said at a year-end speech at a Tokyo hotel.”

   So, Honda is simply taking a stance that their focus on EVs will be powering them with hydrogen, so there will be no need to plug them in. (You simply need a massive new infrastructure.)

   Before I get comments about this and the FCX not being “hybrids”, I am just using the language of the article. I have always considered fuel cells an alternate BEV.

7. 
   
   lkruijsw Says:
   December 19th, 2007 at 2:32 pm

   The key thing is price and power. If you can make a rather cheap fuel cell with lots of power, then there might be a future.

   The cell they make is 100kW for 67kg. That is very good.

   But what about the price? They don’t give any hints. Is the platinum still in?

   Fuel cells can’t compete on efficiency, so, they should compete on price.

8. 
   
   banjoez Says:
   December 19th, 2007 at 3:00 pm

   Here may be another reason plug-ins don’t make as much sense to the Japanese:

   “In the U.S., however, electricity is cheap by world standards. For instance, Maycock notes that the retail cost of electricity usually runs around 8.5 cents per kWh in the U.S. versus Japan’s 22 cents per kWh.”

   Source is from 2004 so it is a bit dated:
   http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/8225/print/8225solarenergy.html

9. 
   
   Steven B Says:
   December 19th, 2007 at 3:39 pm

   Things change, and if nothing else, Honda can change its mind as new details about the future vehicle market and technology come to light. Maybe Japan will end up being the first major industrialized nation to make full use of renewable power, especially geothermal, along with wind and tide, and will come to have an extremely cheap electricity market. If that happens, considering the oil-poor nature of Japan, the government may mandate plug-in hybrids and EVs as a matter of national security. Hydrogen is never the prime choice for anyone nation with a cost-effective alternative. It is about a third of the efficiency of batteries when using electrolysis, and is only cost effective to produce if made from fossil or bio- fuels. And then the cost of creating new infrastructure is a major concern. But regardless, nothing prevents anyone from having plug-in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The Shanghai Volt concept is the prime example of that.

10. 
    
    Anti-Oil Jihadi Says:
    December 19th, 2007 at 4:22 pm

    Typo alert: “rage-extended electric” -> range-extended.

    death to oil http://www.oiljihad.org

11. 
    
    dakotatycoon Says:
    December 20th, 2007 at 7:38 am

    If he can’t understand the allure of plug-in hybrids, then he is out of touch with the times and should resign. It may not make business sense. But that is very different from understanding. I think some younger blood is needed at Honda.

12. 
    
    GXT Says:
    December 20th, 2007 at 11:40 am

    Honda’s position is that inexpensive, non-range-specific, and profitable hybrids make more sense than expensive, range-specific, and loss-leading cars like the Volt.

    Honda was the only major automaker that I am aware of that didn’t lobby the US government against the latest CAFE increases (GM and Toyota did). Therefore I don’t question Honda’s continued commitment to the environment. Nor do I question their devotion to engineering or their vision of the future.

    If they don’t see the value then there is a chance that the value simply isn’t there. Time will tell.

    Here is the complete story:
    http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/318222/1/.html

13. 
    
    RB Says:
    December 20th, 2007 at 6:45 pm

    I take this guy very seriously. His cars have a terrific track record.

14. 
    
    Grizzly Says:
    December 20th, 2007 at 8:34 pm

    # RB Says:
    December 20th, 2007 at 6:45 pm Quote

    I take this guy very seriously. His cars have a terrific track record.

    *** ****

    Things change, as so do the times.

15. 
    
    Xias Says:
    March 11th, 2008 at 11:46 am

    Given the huge success of hybrids like the Prius, in a way I’m glad to see Honda taking a different route. Time will tell if cars like the Clarity will pan out as a viable alternative to other hybrids.

16. 
    
    Ty Says:
    March 16th, 2008 at 7:23 am

    At $600 /month just how many takers do you think they will have?  And if H gets cheap, then what? Will Honda yank them away from leasers the way GM did with the EV1?    Lawyers, politicans, bankers, and car salesmen, They’re all crooks and liars.

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