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Honda is killing its EVs

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Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#41

Post by tim-projects »

SR2Z wrote: post #19
gruez wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>and there are no real competitors to Honda engine bikes. e-bikes/mopeds?

Yeah, e-bikes with thumb throttles are so good that the only reason they haven't already supplanted motorcycles is that there are ten bajillion old unkillable motorcycle engines in use. It's a shame that US law doesn't have a nice in-between that would slot these bikes between proper e-bikes and motorcycles.

Ebikes definitely aren't a viable alternative in Asia yet. Most Asian countries either have no charge stations or very few. Range doesn't compare with gas motorcycles.

Hundreds of millions of motorcycles are still in active use with no real incentive to change

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#42

Post by epolanski »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #22
epolanski wrote: post #21

I hate those narratives that if you don't jump on EVs, your future is doomed. The last 5 years just don't show it. The EV market is still small and infrastructure missing in most of the world. Toyota played it safe and made bank when everybody was saying they were doomed. German automakers went hard on EVs. VW group sold 1 million fully electric vehicles in 2025, they will probably overtake Tesla in a couple of years…

Is your point that the western car companies are doomed no matter how aggressively they jump into EVs now, and that Chinese EV producers have too much of a lead for them to recover, or that they have time to catch up later and can take it slow for now? China is already selling EVs to countries that haven’t even had many cars before, like Nepal. Is 75% of the world car market just going to be there’s because western a…

I think they can catch up later, spin off some electric project to build know-how without going all-in releasing so many models.

Mercedes-Benz sells 9 different fully electric models and that ignores their trucks and vans.

BMW sells 9 different fully electric models across their BMW/Mini/Rolls Royce brands.

Volkswagen sells more than *30*.

I don't think western automakers can compete in any case unless they can either differentiate their offering or significantly lower the cost of core components like batteries.

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#43

Post by aitchnyu »

tim-projects wrote: post #10

This doesn't mention motorcycles > For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 (FY2025), motorcycles accounted for about 17% of total revenue, while cars made up around 65%. I wonder what the plan is for motorcycles, where in much of Asia cars aren't really viable and there are no real competitors to Honda engine bikes.

They had a ubuquitious 100cc/9hp scooter called Activa in India. Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki are a drop in the bucket in EV scooter sales and Honda's offerings are the most hilarious.

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#44

Post by Denatonium »

Calling the Prologue "Honda's EV" feels like a huge stretch. The Prologue was a rebadged GM vehicle that served strictly as a compliance car for meeting CAFE standards. Now that the CAFE standards have been rendered toothless, there's no longer a need for that deal.

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#45

Post by linksnapzz »

whattheheckheck wrote: post #34
Spivak wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it doesn't have a screen or a network connection it can't do either of those things. I'm very eagerly awaiting the Slate truck for exactly this reason. A cheap barebones EV meant for hauling stuff and people locally. The thing can't even do OTA updates without you connecting your phone to the car's bluetooth.

A bezos car? Can we get a non oligarch car?

Do you know of a bank willing to make a loan for...startup capital in the amount necessary for a mass-market automaker?

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#46

Post by decimalenough »

Denatonium wrote: post #44

Calling the Prologue "Honda's EV" feels like a huge stretch. The Prologue was a rebadged GM vehicle that served strictly as a compliance car for meeting CAFE standards. Now that the CAFE standards have been rendered toothless, there's no longer a need for that deal.

It was "Honda's EV" in the sense that it was the only EV with a Honda badge you could actually buy. The three canned models mentioned in the article never even made it into the market.

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#47

Post by happycube »

johanvts wrote: post #37
nytesky wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is safety and quality for Chinese EVs? There was the 2008 melamine baby formula scandal, where a toxic substance was deliberately introduced into baby formula for domestic market. Chinese food imports were curtailed across many countries. Capitalism over there is at another level, and cars are so complicated with tiny changes can have huge problems. Look at the immobilizer chips that Kia dropped to save $5, which…

I think the fear of low-quality and dangerous corner cutting is a big reason Chinese evs have not been even more popular in the EU. However as some brands start to establish themselves for longer they gain trust. Also we have Euro N-cap tests which are pretty extensive and lots of Chinese cars have earned excellent scores.

China also picked up (from A123) and ran with LFP batteries which are inherently safer.

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#48

Post by decimalenough »

tim-projects wrote: post #41
SR2Z wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, e-bikes with thumb throttles are so good that the only reason they haven't already supplanted motorcycles is that there are ten bajillion old unkillable motorcycle engines in use. It's a shame that US law doesn't have a nice in-between that would slot these bikes between proper e-bikes and motorcycles.

Ebikes definitely aren't a viable alternative in Asia yet. Most Asian countries either have no charge stations or very few. Range doesn't compare with gas motorcycles. Hundreds of millions of motorcycles are still in active use with no real incentive to change

Nope, they're increasingly viable. Nearly 10M electric scooters/bikes were sold last year, with the top three players being China, India and Vietnam.

https://www.motorcyclesdata.com/2026/03/11/electric-motorcyc...

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#49

Post by delecti »

tim-projects wrote: post #41
SR2Z wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, e-bikes with thumb throttles are so good that the only reason they haven't already supplanted motorcycles is that there are ten bajillion old unkillable motorcycle engines in use. It's a shame that US law doesn't have a nice in-between that would slot these bikes between proper e-bikes and motorcycles.

Ebikes definitely aren't a viable alternative in Asia yet. Most Asian countries either have no charge stations or very few. Range doesn't compare with gas motorcycles. Hundreds of millions of motorcycles are still in active use with no real incentive to change

Genuine question, could many of them not charge at home? I own an EV and the number of charging stations near me is irrelevant to it because the 120V outlet in my garage is more than sufficient. My naive thinking is that an ebike is an order of magnitude smaller, so surely the same outlet would be even less of a limitation, right? (not to mention that many other countries have ~240V standard outlets)

Maybe the answer is truly "no, that wouldn't actually be practical for how people in those places live" for some reason, but I'm genuinely curious.

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#50

Post by oystersareyum »

aitchnyu wrote: post #43
tim-projects wrote: post #10

This doesn't mention motorcycles > For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 (FY2025), motorcycles accounted for about 17% of total revenue, while cars made up around 65%. I wonder what the plan is for motorcycles, where in much of Asia cars aren't really viable and there are no real competitors to Honda engine bikes.

They had a ubuquitious 100cc/9hp scooter called Activa in India. Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki are a drop in the bucket in EV scooter sales and Honda's offerings are the most hilarious.

What do you mean by "hilarious"?
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