Unlike its homeland rival Toyota, Honda is poised to fully embrace the Electric Vehicle (EV) normalization paradigm that is gradually taking over the major car markets across the globe.
This has been affirmed by its new CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, who seeks to shift the landscape of the EV industry by normalizing solid-state batteries.
Mibe recently told the media that Honda aims to build a testing line for solid-state batteries in 2022 and will soon begin mass producing them.
He clarified that the development of solid-state batteries is a part of the long-term plan and that Honda’s partnership with General Motors will help it transition to the era of EV development.
The company has already announced an upcoming lineup of ten ‘e:N Series’ EVs that is ready to be launched in China.
Mibe highlighted that Honda does not intend to invest a lot of resources in the development of Lithium-Ion (L-Ion) batteries as it seeks to hold its front in the EV market with solid-state batteries that will cost less and be more efficient than L-Ion batteries.
He said,
If we make too huge an investment, we feel the production facilities can’t be readily commonized between lithium ion and solid-state batteries. So we need to think long term and think about what timing is best for this investment of billions and billions.
Honda seeks to have 40 percent of its total sales in major markets such as North America be either EVs or Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (HFCVs) by 2030, with an aim to achieve zero emissions in 2040.
