Honda Moving Massively Towards Hybrid Platform : new honda
Thursday, November 12th, 2009Honda Moving Massively Towards Hybrid Platform
by Thomas Ajava
Honda is pushing nearly all its chips into the center of the table when it comes to hybrid technology. The company has seen the future and apparently believes hybrid models are where it is at. As a result, it intends to move most of its models towards hybrid options.
The Japanese car companies have always been given credit for their remarkable ability to both recognize the future and plan for it. From the small Honda Civic in the 1970s to the Toyota Prius, the companies have always been a step ahead of the rest of the car companies in the world. Unfortunately, the big three in America proved to have no ability in this area. Regardless, Honda is making another move that should be an eye opener.
The company is making a not so subtle move to move most of its vehicles to a hybrid option. This option is actually an expanded version of what we now see. There will be gas/electric models like the Insight, but also plug in variations. Honda is known to spend an absolutely fortune on alternative energy research and there is some conjecture that cars with solar panels built into them may be coming down the line.
The internal components of the Honda hybrids are also advancing at rapid pace. The Honda Insight already comes with a continuously variable transmission. This transmission replaces the heavy, traditional gear teeth based transmission with a metal push-belt approach. The belt runs between pulleys and is continually adjusting to maximize torque and/or fuel efficiency depending on the driving conditions of the car.
The move by Honda to go all in on hybrid technology may look a bit reckless, but is it really? There is little doubt tighter emission regulations are coming. Combined with increased gas prices, there seems to be little reason to believe that hybrids will become the primary vehicle of the future.