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I think buying 123GWhs over a period of six years is very mediocre. Honda is one of the largest global automotive companies and essentially 20 GWhs per year is not much at all, specially when they are so late to the party.
GM's Ultium factories plan to output over 40GWhs per year. But maybe Honda is fine with getting whatever is left over from GM's leftovers, as Honda can say 'oh well, we tried our best but we had so few batteries.'
Hiding in the heads of the 2023 Honda Pilot's new V-6, code name J35Y8, is a dramatic change: an additional camshaft for each bank. Every previous naturally aspirated V-6 from either Honda or Acura except for the first-generation NSX has instead been a single-overhead-cam (SOHC) design. Bore and stroke carry over (and therefore its 3471cc displacement), as do a 60-degree bank angle, and a 11.5:1 compression ratio. But this new engine that powers the Pilot (and almost certainly any future V-6–powered vehicles, such as the Odyssey and Ridgeline) gets the compact DOHC heads from the turbocharged Type S-variants of the Acura TLX and MDX, where the cam bearing caps are incorporated into the valve cover, shrinking the head height by 1.2 inches.
Peak power is up by 5 hp to 285 hp at 6100 rpm, while peak torque is identical at 262 pound-feet at 5000 rpm; those peaks occur at slightly higher engine speeds, 100 rpm and 300 rpm, respectively. Hydraulic lifters are also new, which means no more valve-lash adjustments, and depressurizing them keeps the valves closed during three-cylinder mode. The DOHC V-6 continues to use a timing belt, which has the same 100,000-mile replacement interval as the SOHC engine before it.
Emissions-wise, this latest V-6 jumps to a SULEV30 rating, which amounts to a reduction of 40- to 50-percent in particulate and NOx output. Fuel control is more precise, with direct-injection-system pressure up by 50 percent to 30 MPa (or 4351 psi), along with smaller injector holes and an ability to do up to three squirts per combustion cycle. Another key enabler is using cam phasers to continually adjust both intake and exhaust timing rather than the high-lift and longer-duration intake lobes on the previous V-6. But that means this new engine doesn't have VTEC, and a smooth and linear pull to redline replaces the manic switchover point that helped give VTEC a cult following. Based on today's rules, these changes will keep the V-6 compliant until at least 2030.
I guess they could've still called it VTEC, even if it's a constant phase shift vs a single cutover.
Still variable timing & lift, just not a fixed engagement.
Honda believes there's a future in hydrogen fuel cells, and it's announcing significant expansions in that business. This will include launching a CR-V-based fuel cell electric vehicle in 2024 in North America and Japan.
The fuel cell system for this vehicle comes from joint development with General Motors. According to Honda, the tech has one-third the cost and double the durability of the system in the 2019 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell.
The CR-V-based fuel cell vehicle will also have plug-in electric functionality. This will mean that owners will be able to charge it at home, which will potentially mitigate concerns about the relatively limited hydrogen refueling infrastructure.The company is also continuing to develop fuel cell tech. Around 2030, Honda expects to have a fuel cell that's half the cost and double the durability of the system co-developed with GM. The price per unit could be comparable to a diesel engine, the automaker claims.
Fuel-cell-powered commercial vehicles are also on the horizon. In Japan, Honda is working on a heavy-duty truck with Isuzu that begins on-road demonstrations by the first quarter of 2024. It's also already testing a similar rig with Dongfeng in China.
Honda intends to introduce fuel cells to the construction industry. It would apply them to excavators and wheel loaders first.
Honda wants to take fuel cells to space, too. It is working with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to develop the tech. The plan is to use solar energy to electrolyze water and create oxygen and hydrogen. The fuel cell could generate electricity and water from oxygen and hydrogen. The company refers to this as a "circulative renewable energy system."
The ultimate goal for Honda is to achieve carbon neutrality for all of its products and corporate activities by 2050. The company wants to have no environmental impact.
My understanding is that there are about 50 Hydrogen fueling locations in the US. All but one, are in California. These car manufacturers cant even create new cars without the wheels falling off, but they will also add thousands of hydrogen fueling stations throughout the country??? Sounds like an expensive plan that would take a decade to fully implement.
Hydrogen was supposed to be a bridge between fossil fuel and electric in that it still uses an ICE methodology. It's never caught on and EV is now getting far more mainstream. Hydrogen just seems pointless now, especially considering the amount of energy required to split water to make hydrogen might as well just go into driving the car to begin with.
Someone at the top is seriously deluded at Honda.
Maybe we need a regime change at Honda headquarters as well (just like at Toyota) to bring them back to their senses.
Honda provided a few more details relating to its next-generation hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle, which will be based on the CR-V. The as-yet-unnamed crossover will be part of the automaker's push to eliminate carbon emissions from its lineup.
In a meeting primarily focused on the automaker's fuel cell business strategy for the future, Honda revealed the packaging of the small crossover, with a fuel cell stack and electric drive motor taking up residence under the hood and over the front wheels, similar to the internal combustion CR-V. A hydrogen tank will appear under the back seat, with another above and just forward of the rear axle – both good locations from a crash safety perspective. An “Intelligent Power Unit” shows up in place of the gas-powered CR-V’s driveshaft, bundling a battery, electric inverter, and powertrain controls together in one module.
Honda didn’t specify how large the battery is, but it’ll be enough to provide plug-in electric capability, which the automaker confirmed a few months ago. Such a system will allow owners to recharge their SUVs overnight, allowing them to drive some distance before firing up the fuel cell and reducing their dependence on the hydrogen refueling infrastructure, one of the main problems faced by owners of the Toyota Mirai and bygone Honda Clarity Fuel Cell.
The fuel cell vehicle will be built at Honda's Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio, most famous for being the site where the now-discontinued NSX was produced. What's more, Honda will export Japanese-market versions of the car from the Ohio facility. Sales in Japan and North America are expected to start sometime in 2024. Honda’s next-generation fuel cell, which will appear in the 2024 SUV, was developed in partnership with General Motors. The Japanese automaker claims it will cost two-thirds less than the fuel cell found in the Clarity, with double the durability thanks to more corrosion-resistant materials. The fuel cell also features faster startup times in very cold temperatures – minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 30 degrees Celsius).
Representatives from the company also teased the fuel cell system that will follow by the end of the decade, offering half the cost and double the durability of next year’s unit. The automaker hopes that it will help speed the adoption of hydrogen fuel cells in heavy trucking, construction, shipping, and power generation.
My understanding is that there are about 50 Hydrogen fueling locations in the US. All but one, are in California. These car manufacturers cant even create new cars without the wheels falling off, but they will also add thousands of hydrogen fueling stations throughout the country??? Sounds like an expensive plan that would take a decade to fully implement.
Pretty good explanation on how and why hydrogen is not practical. I don't care how much Honda, BMW, Toyota and others wanna make hydrogen happen, it's not.
In addition to automobiles and motorcycles, Honda makes gasoline-powered mowers and equipment like generators and power tools. This equipment ranks among the best in the industry according to review sites like Pro Tool Reviews, which regularly gives Honda's self-propelled mowers top ratings for dependability and ease of use. However, that is about to end as Honda exits the gasoline-powered lawn equipment business next year.
According to a recent press release, Honda notified its power equipment dealers in October 2022, informing them that it would stop manufacturing lawnmowers and other gas-powered equipment effective September 2023. In the press release, the company said, “The decision to end lawn mower production is driven by market forces such as stricter environmental regulations, shifting customer preferences, and our focus on growing profitable products in our portfolio."
Honda also said it would continue selling the remainder of its lawn and garden product line and industrial-type power products through 2024 until the inventory is gone. It also pledged to continue supporting its service and parts operations in the US market.
While Honda did not cite specific reasons, it's apparent that ongoing supply chain issues and the growth of battery-powered lawn care equipment took their toll on its power tool division. It also has not developed any battery-powered equipment to compete with other manufacturers like Toro and Stihl and newcomers like Ego and Greenworks. This approach is similar to the one taken by Honda's automotive division, which only recently began planning to switch some of its plants over to EV production.
Time will tell if Honda completely exits the power equipment market or comes out with its own line of electric lawnmowers and power tools. However, other brands that use Honda gasoline engines for mowers and equipment like generators will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, US manufacturing plants like the one in Swepsonville, North Carolina, will switch to building all-terrain vehicles like quad-runners and UTVs.
Honda partnered with GM to advance its EV strategy in North America, with the Acura ZDX and Honda Prologue as the first fruits of this partnership. The two carmakers agreed in 2022 to develop a new EV architecture for small SUVs. After GM delayed its EV plans, Honda was left with no choice but to cancel the partnership.
The Japanese carmakers are a little behind with their EV plans as the world moves faster toward electrification. Even Nissan, which was one of the pioneers of electrification with the Leaf, is now almost wiped out of the EV market. Honda has tried its hand at electric vehicles with the small Honda e in Europe and a couple of models in China, but the success has failed to materialize. To move more quickly, the Japanese carmaker partnered with GM to launch several electric vehicles on its Ultium platform.
I guess Honda believed Mary Barra's bullish statements about going all-in with EVs and plans of surpassing Tesla by mid-decade. After developing the Acura ZDX and the Honda Prologue on the Ultium platform, Honda and GM signed an agreement to widen the partnership. Honda was interested in developing a smaller EV platform to underpin future crossovers.
The new EV architecture was supposed to derive from the existing Ultium platform but with lower production costs. It would've allowed building electric crossovers with a price tag below the $30,000 Chevrolet Equinox EV and similar future models from Honda. The first models based on this architecture were planned to arrive in 2027, but things didn't work out the way the Japanese carmaker wanted.
Honda's miscalculation was that GM would also be interested in pursuing small EV development. Although the Detroit giant signaled its intention to enter the European market with its electric vehicles, it has little benefits in building smaller and less profitable EVs. That became clear during the third quarter earnings call when GM announced postponing its EV plans. All existing Ultium-based vehicles are affected, and, it turns out, even the ones not yet on the market.
Faced with delays out of its control, Honda decided to withdraw from this partnership. Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe offered a similarly vague explanation as Mary Barra: changing business environment. Although Mibe said Honda and GM will search for a solution separately, you can bet the plans for a more affordable EV are dead and buried. Cheap EVs are nowhere as profitable as the more luxurious SUVs, while development costs are equally high. Developing a new platform from scratch doesn't make sense without a partner to share the expenses.
GM is not the only traditional carmaker that is having second thoughts about electric vehicles. Ford also delayed plans to ramp up EV production, while Volkswagen is treading water with its EV plans. Stellantis has been doing this for a long time, while the Japanese carmakers are still convinced that hybrid vehicles are a better solution.
Radiators in homes must be on the list of the world's best inventions ever. Made of various kinds of metal, they let hot water run through them and spread warmth and joy all around. And another thing about radiators you should know is that they generally come in the same shape, no matter where you are on this Earth. That means there's a great chance every one of you reading this knows what I'm talking about. And there's also a chance you understand me when I say Honda's new Motocompacto looks kind of like a home radiator.
The bike maker pulled the wraps off the new interpretation of its wacky scooter in September. It builds on the strange appearance of what was previously known as the Motocompo, and it's even weirder. Design-wise, that is, because in all other respects we're dealing with one decent piece of engineering for the segment it plays in.
Why do I say that? Well, because unlike most other scooters out there, this one is a sort of carry-on. It folds upon itself to become small enough to fit inside its own carrying thingy. And that, in turn, fits inside cars and public transport, or in a tight spot at home. How small can it become? 3.7 inches wide, 21.1 inches high, 29.2 inches long (9.3 cm by 53.5 cm by 74.1 cm), to be precise.
Why would you take the Motocompacto with you? That's easy: it was envisioned as a last-mile transportation solution, or for use on small distances, like say around a campus somewhere.
That's because the thing's battery will only last you for about 12 miles (19 km). It's swappable, though, and it can also be charged with the help of an on-board charger. The thing is not fast either. It can only go 15 mph (24 kph).
Honda knows the scooter is not exactly the pinnacle of two-wheeled motoring, and that's why it set a price that's well within the capabilities of most Americans. It is only asking $995, excluding tax, for it.
All of the above is public knowledge, so not exactly news. The reason we're once again talking about the Honda Motocompacto is the bike maker's announcement that the order books for the thing are now open, and you can get yourself one "through participating Honda and Acura dealers."
What that means is that, despite the wacky and youthful appearance, the scooter can't be configured and ordered online. It's a bit of a shame, if you ask us, as is the fact there aren't, as far as we can tell, all that many customization options available. Not even something as simple as a sticker.
At least, not officially, as we'll see what the aftermarket industry and imaginative youngsters have to say about it.
12-11-2022, 09:30 PM
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Pretty good explanation on how and why hydrogen is not practical. I don't care how much Honda, BMW, Toyota and others wanna make hydrogen happen, it's not.
