I don’t think the electric vehicle is the solution for everything...TAKANOBU ITO Electric cars show great potential but they are bedevilled by various issues.
ONE day in the future, electric vehicles may well be the de rigeur form of private transport, from cars and motorcycles to MPVs and SUVs, but don’t hold your breath waiting.
They won’t replace gasoline-powered engines on a wide scale, at least, not in our lifetime.
This is the view of Takanobu Ito, president and CEO of Honda Motor Company, even though the company has just announced it will develop electric vehicles.
“I don’t think the electric vehicle is the solution for everything,” Ito told journalists at the Tokyo Motor Show 2009 last month, where Honda re-affirmed its commitment to ecologically-friendlier technologies.
“Electric vehicles need to be lightweight to improve performance and fuel efficiency. But current batteries are heavy and expensive, and do not give you more driving range through a charge.
“So the batteries need to evolve and advance. But I don’t think it’s going to happen during our lifetime that the electric vehicle will give us the convenience of the current gasoline cars,” Ito added.
Good impression: For less than 10 minutes at the wheel, the Honda Insight came across as responsive and capable of tackling inclines. That said, though, Honda - which has currently puts most of its “green” eggs in the hybrid basket - isn’t about to ignore the potential offered by electric vehicles.
“Well, we have made an announcement for the first time that we are doing extensive research into electric vehicles.
“Some people will be happy with the current battery vehicles, and because some customers might want to have this kind of car, we’re just starting our learning process of how that can be used,” he said.
Honda took up the largest floor space in the show this year, and apart from showcasing its petrol and hybrid range, also had a section designated Hello (Honda Electric mobility Loop).
Here, the company showed electric vehicles like the EV-N compact car, EV-Cub electric motorcycle, EV-Monpal electric personal vehicle and U3-X single-wheel personal mobility device.
However, an indication of what the future could be came in the guise of the FC-X Clarity, a hydrogen fuel-cell powered car.
Interestingly, this also hinted at the future of Honda’s performance sports vehicles, including the discontinued NSX.
Incidentally, Ito played a part in the NSX’s development during the 1980s.
“A sports car does not necessarily need a huge engine to get excellent performance. It is a matter of power-to-weight ratio; this is critical,” he said.
The NSX used aluminium in the engine, chassis, body and suspension, making it lightweight enough for the power-to-weight ratio needed for excellent performance.
The Insight’s dashboard and and wheel. “As a consequence of that, we came out with a car that was excellent also in fuel efficiency, which I’m very proud of,” said Ito.
While there are no plans now for any such sports car (production of the NSX was ceased in 2005), Honda has not shut the door on performance vehicles.
“I think if we are to come out with something new in that area in future, when the financial and economic conditions allow, we would like to make a real high-performance car suited to the age of environmental awareness.
“One clue of what kind of car that may be lies in the FC-X Clarity. I believe its powertrain has big potential. The Clarity does not carry a heavy battery and gives you long range, like gasoline-fuelled vehicles.
“Also because of the motor, it gives you the maximum output right from zero rpm which means good smooth acceleration right when you start driving. In addition, it is very quiet.
“I believe this hydrogen-based, fuel-cell powered vehicle is the ultimate car of the times. We might want to make a sports car that applies this technology.
“One issue here is that there are no hydrogen supply stations available around the world. If we can build an infrastructure of stations, yes, we’d like to come up with a car like that,” he said.
As for the immediate future of Honda’s green technology, we’ll have to set our sights on the Civic and Insight (see accompanying story) hybrids, which promise to cut your fuel bill by almost half.
Honda also showed its futuristic Skydeck hybrid MPV and CR-Z Concept CR-Z, which is the world’s first hybrid with a six-speed manual transmission.
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