Ford made quite a few waves last year when it announced that it would be splitting itself into two distinct entities – Model e, which is focused on all-electric vehicles, and Ford Blue, its ICE-powered vehicle division. Many criticized the move, including Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, who publicly panned the decision, while General Motors, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz announced that they would not be following The Blue Oval’s lead in that regard. However, another FoMoCo rival – Honda – is somewhat mimicking it after deciding to launch its own standalone EV development unit, according to Reuters.
Nearly one year ago, Honda announced that it plans to invest $40 billion in EVs and launch ten new all-electric models by 2027 along with a grand total of 30 by 2030, which will ride on its new dedicated EV platform. However, establishing a standalone business unit to oversee the development of both EVs and the batteries that power them is a new move, and one that may also see the Japanese automaker launch its own charging network, to boot.
“I’ve been in the engine development business for more than 30 years, so personally it’s a little threatening. But I have to separate my own feelings from what is best for the business,” said Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe, adding that “the charging infrastructure is not at a place that it needs to be for our customers. As we move toward carbon neutrality, we are focused on electrification and fuel cells – those are the two core components of future mobility.”
As such, Honda is currently conducting feasibility studies on chargers, advanced battery systems, and low-carbon e-fuels, the latter of which could keep ICE vehicles on the market until 2040, Mibe revealed. However, in the longer-term, its focus lies squarely on electric vehicles following this major shift in philosophy.
We’ll have more on everything Ford’s competition is up to soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for continuous Ford news coverage.
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