Honda hasn't been the most active company when it comes to electrification, but the Japanese auto giant promises to make up for lost time with major investments and considerable efforts.
In fact, Honda will be doubling those efforts, as it reiterates its commitment to ensuring that 100 percent of the vehicles it sells by 2040 will be all-electric or equipped with a fuel cell.
The automaker's plan is a two-fronted affair: battery technology and production. Honda said on Thursday that it intends to invest upwards of $65 billion in its electrification strategy up to 2030.
About 60 percent of those investments will go to production and development of new electric vehicles and motorcycles. Around 20 percent ($12 billion) will go to capital expenditure in key markets such as the U.S., Canada and Japan, while the remaining 20 percent is earmarked for research and development of “software-defined mobility”.
Honda estimates that electric and fuel cell vehicles will account for 40 percent of its global sales by 2030. The Prologue is the brand's first electric model in North America, but it will soon be joined by others – and it will have to be, given that the company target is to have produced two million electric vehicles by 2030.
See: 2024 Honda Prologue First Drive: Best Foot Forward
The next models to launch will come under the O Series banner and complete Honda's North American model range. The first model in that line of models is part of the automaker’s "Thin, Light and Wise" design philosophy and will be based on the spectacular Saloon sedan unveiled in January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
For the moment, that's all the information the company is willing to share. We do know that one of the advances Honda hopes to integrate into its future production models is a faster charging time of 15 minutes to go from 15 to 80 percent charge. As well, the model will be built on a new vehicle architecture developed in-house.
Honda may be taking longer than some others as it shifts to electric, but it appears right now to outdo most of them in terms of commitment.
