Honda is killing its EVs • Hacker News Board

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#71

Post by Kirby64 » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 8:45 PM UTC

viccis wrote: post #66

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.

>Now that the CAFE standards have been rendered toothless Can you elaborate on this? I'd love to have a cheap small truck like they used to make, but CAFE largely killed those.

OBBB removed any fines for violating CAFE standards. They still exist technically, but it'd be like getting a speeding ticket but the fine is always $0...

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#72

Post by kazinator » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 8:45 PM UTC

> The large battery in an EV makes it easier to feed powerful computers, and it allows things like over-the-air updates to happen when the car is parked and “off.”

I don't want anything of the sort as a consumer, so auto makers who don't "get" it either are fine by me. Nay, heroes.

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#73

Post by mixmastamyk » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC

twelve40 wrote: post #23

johanvts wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Once EVs are economically attractive the transition can be very fast. I live in Denmark so I have seen it, it took 7 years to go from ~5% to 90+% of new cars sold. Both EU and US are now relying on trade barriers to keep Chinese EVs away from consumers.

well China debate aside, where are they? i've been dabbling in electrics for over a decade now, on the lower range they are still 30% more expensive than gas cars. Surely someone, anyone outside of China could have done one cheaper by now? Leaf came out 16 years ago and they still can't get it under $30k?

Looked this up yesterday:

Inflation calculator site says 45% inflation since 2011, USD.

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#74

Post by paulgerhardt » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC

GianFabien wrote: post #30

Smart doorbells and thermostats that upgraded in the night often became a nuisance or an expensive brick. But a faulty software upgrade on a car can kill you and others. Car company execs need to take a chill pill followed by a reality serum. Monetizing subscription based basic features and delivering in-car advertising is the absolutely worst way to go. As consumers we need to stop buying into the bells, whistles an…

I mean there are multiple, multiple boundaries in place for this reason. I’d start by saying most “in the middle of the night” updates target non-safety critical systems in the car like the IHU. The update I received last night has a build date of 2024 reflecting extensive validation before general availability in 2026. It was field tested in limited markets after factory validation and had staged rollouts through dealers before going to general OTA availability.

Independently, I had to take my car into the dealer to get a safety critical recall installed via Ethernet that affected a braking system in certain edge cases and this was not installable OTA “in the night”.

While, yes, I am annoyed that the dealer price for my “infotainment” unit is $2k and reflects the technical specs of a 2016 mid tier android tablet running Intel cores; I do feel that vehicle is far safer with its airbags, 360 camera, lane keeping, and AEB on net than my 1970’s classic.

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#75

Post by com2kid » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 8:47 PM UTC

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

> 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.

I was in China last year and one apartment complex I stayed at had a garage full of e scooters and bikes all plugged in to charge.

The streets in China are remarkably quiet now with so many electric vehicles.

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#76

Post by dmitrygr » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 8:48 PM UTC

lenerdenator wrote: post #57

GianFabien wrote: post #30

Smart doorbells and thermostats that upgraded in the night often became a nuisance or an expensive brick. But a faulty software upgrade on a car can kill you and others. Car company execs need to take a chill pill followed by a reality serum. Monetizing subscription based basic features and delivering in-car advertising is the absolutely worst way to go. As consumers we need to stop buying into the bells, whistles an…

We've had software upgrades on cars for years now. The used car market has, in many ways, usurped what used to be the role of the basic car used to be. As a result, you see fewer and fewer new cars sold, and automakers have to more intensively monetize the cars they have. They must create ever-increasing returns to shareholders.

  > We've had software upgrades on cars for years now.

Those of us who cared enough and did not want them -- have not had them. it is very easy to replace an antenna with a 50 ohm resistor

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#77

Post by mullingitover » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 8:48 PM UTC

I'm convinced that the Japanese government is terrified of EVs because all the small and medium-sized businesses which support the Japanese auto industry will be absolutely gutted when vehicles contain drastically fewer parts.

That, and Japan is deeply screwed if they go all-in on EVs and then China decides they shouldn't be allowed access to any more rare earths.

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#78

Post by eldaisfish » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 8:49 PM UTC

sigmoid10 wrote: post #51

GianFabien wrote: post #30

Smart doorbells and thermostats that upgraded in the night often became a nuisance or an expensive brick. But a faulty software upgrade on a car can kill you and others. Car company execs need to take a chill pill followed by a reality serum. Monetizing subscription based basic features and delivering in-car advertising is the absolutely worst way to go. As consumers we need to stop buying into the bells, whistles an…

Consumers have very little power in this space. Have you tried buying a non-premium car with physical buttons instead of touchscreens in recent years? There used to be hardly any option because carmakers all somehow decided this was the way forward, even though science clearly said it was making cars less safe. So if you needed a car and didn't have a ton of money, you could merely accept it. Only now that safety rat…

A screen is cheaper to design and easier to modify. That’s the motivation for auto companies.

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#79

Post by panzagl » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 8:49 PM UTC

badpun wrote: post #14

ta9000 wrote: post #5

Ironically, Trump attacking Iran and closing the Strait is a boon to China and EV makers. Once the car is produced, aside from lubricants, it’s completely independent of oil. Heck you can put panels on your rooftop and slow charge it during the day.

Car tires are made with synthetic rubber, which is made from oil.

Quick google math says you get 6 tires from a barrel of oil vs roughly 20 gallons of gas. Unless EVs mean you change tires every 300 miles or so I think we're good.

Re: Honda is killing its EVs

#80

Post by jasonwatkinspdx » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 8:50 PM UTC

mullingitover wrote: post #77

I'm convinced that the Japanese government is terrified of EVs because all the small and medium-sized businesses which support the Japanese auto industry will be absolutely gutted when vehicles contain drastically fewer parts. That, and Japan is deeply screwed if they go all-in on EVs and then China decides they shouldn't be allowed access to any more rare earths.

> China decides they shouldn't be allowed access to any more rare earths

This is a common misunderstanding. There are plenty of alternative locations to mine rare earth minerals, particularly Australia. China cornered the market because it's a high pollution low margin business. If geopolitical concerns cut off access to Chinese sources, alternatives will be developed.