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Honda Motor Co. (NYSE: HMC) won't be lining up to produce electric-powered automobiles any time soon. That is, the Japanese automaker is running after hydrogen fuel-cell technology instead of battery-powered electric propulsion technology, which is the mainstay of current hybrid vehicles and upcoming all-electric vehicles.
Honda's fuel-cell development chief, Takashi Moriya, said that "Fuel-cell cars will become necessary ... we're positioning it as the ultimate zero-emission car." Why is Honda pursuing fuel-cell technology instead of electric motor technology? Does Honda believe battery technology won't ever satisfy the ever-growing demand for completely gasoline-free engine designs in the next decade? Possibly. Right now, a major drawback to electric vehicles is battery longevity and cost.
AutoPacific's Ed Kim indicated that "Honda has a propensity to think very long term" -- and he's mostly right. Honda believes in this more than the current hype over electric cars, and they tend to stick with a decision they really believe is correct, according to Kim.
So, while Honda may not get caught up in the furor surrounding the transition to electric-powered cars -- and instead focuses more on where alternative vehicle power could rest in 2022 -- it could be quite a vision for Honda to lay low at this time. Or, fuel-cell technology could never fully develop and Honda will be left scrambling.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-13-2009 @ 2:46PM
adonsgolf said...
Honda has it right. Hydrogen is the fuel of the future.
Electric cars are fine for city driving but to satifsy the
taste of traveling americans hydrogen will be the fuel of
choice. It will not come soon enough. But summing up,
both methods of running a auto will be beneficial.
8-13-2009 @ 1:37PM
Larry said...
Everyone already has an electric plug in their gagage or house. Plugs can be intsalled cheaply almost anywhere. Building a whole infastructure to run vehicles off Hydrogen would cost billions of dollars..... Electric cars win this fight on a cost basis alone..................
8-13-2009 @ 4:25PM
ij70 said...
Honda has it right.
Larry, back in the day ICE vehicles and steam powered vehicles went neck in neck. Steam powered vehicles had one big advantage, everybody had some wood or coal that they were using to heat their houses, to cook their food and also to power their steam engines :-) And yet, ICE vehicles survived and prospered while steam powered vehicles went by way of dinosaurs. Do you see the parallel with your "everyone has electric plug in their garage" idea? Today everyone has electric plug, 100 years ago everyone had wood and coal to power their steam engine cars. Yet, we do not drive steam engine cars today, we drive internal combustion engine cars.