Today, Honda has also updated its latest global electrification strategic plan under the pressure of the environment, which is a correction of its own stubbornness. In the next 10 years, Honda will invest 8 trillion yen (about 406.4 billion yuan) in research and development funds to keep up with the historical trend of the automotive industry, and by 2030, it will launch 30 pure electric vehicles in the global market, with an annual output of more than 2 million vehicles.
On the whole, what is clearer this time is:
● Honda adopts a localization procurement strategy in various regions, the United States and GM are tied together to build batteries, in China to rely on the Ningde era, in Japan and Nissan together to choose AESC (toyota camp and Panasonic alliance, did not have to choose)
● To develop its own all-solid-state batteries, start the trial production line in Q1 2024
● The main funds should be invested in the entire intelligent aspect
Figure 1. Today, looking at 2 million, it is about 30% of Tesla's volume in 2022.
Part 1 Honda's electrification rhythm
From the perspective of model planning,
In the first phase of 2022-205, we will promote products around the characteristics of the global regional market:
● North America: In 2024, Honda and GM jointly developed two medium- and large-sized EV models. (Honda brand: new Prologue SUV, Acura brand: EV SUV model)
Figure 2. Pure electric SUV in North America
● China: Launching 10 new EV models by 2027, according to this guiding ideology, it feels that the competitiveness of 10 models is very limited.
● Japan: In early 2024, the first mini-EV model of 1 million yen will be launched, and a micro-electric vehicle and electric SUV for personal use will be launched in due course. This is mainly consistent with the previous electric motorcycle play, which we will elaborate on in the second part.
Figure 3. Honda's style of play in Japan is very conservative
Honda plans to start a dedicated platform in 2025-2030, and believes that this is the period of global electric vehicle popularization; in 2026, Honda will begin to adopt Honda e: Architecture, an EV platform that combines hardware platforms and software platforms. Through its alliance with GM, Honda plans to launch affordable electric vehicles in 2027 that will be as competitive in cost and range as gasoline-powered cars, starting in North America. Honda plans to launch 30 EV models worldwide by 2030, covering a complete lineup from commercial micro-electric vehicles to flagship models, with Honda planning to produce more than 2 million units a year.
Figure 4. 2026 came the exclusive platform for electric vehicles, and GM cooperated
In terms of electric vehicle production, in China, Honda plans to establish specialized electric vehicle factories in Guangzhou and Wuhan, and according to the first wave of demand in North America, Honda plans to build a dedicated EV production line in North America as well. Honda's battery selection strategy is as follows:
● In the North American market, Honda purchased GM's "Ultium platform" batteries and studied the establishment of a battery production joint venture;
● The cooperation between the Chinese market, Honda and CATL;
● In the Japanese market, batteries are purchased from Envision Power for use in micro-electric vehicles.
The all-solid-state battery demonstration production line is also scheduled to start in the spring of 2024, which will further strengthen the independent research and development of the new generation of batteries, with an investment of about 43 billion yen (about 2.19 billion yuan), and the first model equipped with all-solid-state batteries is scheduled to be launched in the second half of the five-year period from 2025 to 2030.
Figure 5. Honda's power battery selection strategy
Since Honda has many products, this time it is mainly around data services, around the product interconnection after the chemical reaction, and the electrified digital terminal, as well as the energy and information stored in the product, with users and society. Honda wants to do a good job of building a cross-domain interconnect platform, strengthening human resources recruited from outside Honda, and seeking cross-industry collaborations and alliances to invest in startups.
Figure 6. Honda's data and energy strategy
In fact, Honda's cars are actually not very profitable, and they still have their own unique features in motorcycles and second-wheelers, airplanes, etc. (about 30 million motorized products are sold annually).
Figure 7. Honda's diversity is interesting
Part 2 Honda's two-wheel power strategy
Recently, it is interesting that The four major Japanese motorcycle manufacturers Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha are now working with oil company Eneos to establish a joint venture company Gachaco to operate an electric motorcycle replacement company and unify the general specifications for battery replacement. Eneos owns 51 percent of the shares, Honda 34 percent and Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha 5 percent each.
Figure 7. Honda has played the role of a leading big brother in electric motorcycles
Figure 8. Inside the electric motorcycle battery BAAS as a service push up easily
Honda in this field, from the Perspective of Japan is relatively fast, because of the bypass of the internal combustion engine, Chinese mainland and Taiwan are actually developing faster, so Honda also has a strong sense of crisis.
Figure 9. Honda's two-wheel electric model study
Honda developed this system, which can use a 96V power supply system, each series 48V mobile power pack. The Power Control Unit (PCU) uses sensors to detect throttle opening and driving conditions, controls it using vector control, and by fine-tuning torque control, the travel distance per charge can be extended.
Figure 10. Honda's two-wheeled electric vehicle
And this Honda has also begun to gradually expand to India and other regions, in general, the entire development of electrification is covering the entire energy field: running on the road, flying in the air, driving in the river and the sea.
Summary: I think that at present, it is faster than who turns, there is no reason not to turn, mainly to throw a lot of resources into it, which is a choice without choice.