Socket To Me, Honda!
Honda is moving closer to the grid. Honda is working on on a plug-in hybrid, and an all-electric car. It will take a while until they are ready, if you want one, you need to wait until 2013. Toyota is a step and a year ahead: ToMoCo will begin mass production of plug-in hybrids and electric cars in 2012.
According to The Nikkei [sub] Honda President Takanobu Ito announced the plans at a news conference today.
Honda claims its plug-in hybrid will be able to go 60km or more on a single liter of gas, besting the Prius hybrid, which gets 38km per liter. Once the Prius can be plugged in, that advantage will most likely evaporate. Toyota says its forthcoming plug-in hybrid, will get 57km to the liter.
Honda will release its electric car in the U.S. first. California, the most populous state in that country, will require automakers to increase sales of zero-emissions vehicles starting around 2012. Honda is considering manufacturing the Insight and its two other hybrids in the U.S.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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Toyota beat Honda to the hybrid punch too - just not in the US where Honda sold the original Insight first.
Step 1: GM announces fancy concept Step 2: Toyota builds mediocre car from concept Step 3: Honda builds mediocre car from concept Step 4: GM announces fancier concept Step 5: Toyota builds improved car Step 6: Honda builds improved car
Yawn. It won't happen. Did you know that Henry Ford and Thomas Edison talked about a BEV with a 100 mi. range in 1914? "The Automobile’s Forgotten Secret" by Ralph Kinney Bennett on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 http://american.com/archive/2010/july/the-automobiles-forgotten-secret
That is the door of what car? Inquiring mind want to know (as well as how it applies to an EV).