Quote:
Originally Posted by martinjlm
Very interesting perspective from Honda CEO Takeo Fukei- Honda will launch a hybrid-only family of vehicles (no big surprise here)
- Honda currently does not make money on hybrids (surprise to some, but tracks logically)
- Honda doesn't think plug-ins (including Volt) make sense (shocking <bad pun>)
- Honda sees future for fuel cell vehicles within 10 years
Honda's position on plug-ins is based on belief that people don't want a vehicle that has to be connected to the grid on a daily basis.
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Thanks for the article. Something I heard on C-SPAN the other day was a claim that the "The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles" was the impetus for the Japanese hybrid programs. They were terrified that we knew something they didn't and decided to fund their own R&D programs. In the meanwhile, some of the 'partners' worked on political programs that crushed the Partnership. Then a funny thing happened: Toyota sold boatloads of Prius to folks standing in line who paid the extra $2-4,000, not counting the tax credit, and some suddenly realized, "There is a market for these things!"
Regardless, it looks like hybrid technology is being pursued seriously and the only folks who haven't "gotten the memo" . . . well they weren't at the leading edge before either. But I won't claim hybrids have become the universal answer, yet.
Honda has verified that a hybrid has to be practical, by discontinuing the Insight, and workable, by discontinuing the Accord. I wasn't aware that their Civic was "hand crafted" and still a loss leader. However, it sounds like Honda has decided to move from image to a stronger, hybrid architecture.
As for hydrogen, I remain quite comfortable with my skepticism. I know too much chemistry to believe H(2) will ever be practical. When laptop batteries become fuel cells, I'll change my mind but until then, fuel cells remain the stuff of science.
Bob Wilson