By 2022 Honda has plans to electrify its main models in Europe.
By 2030, 4 in 10 Honda cars will be electric in the major markets.
By 2040 Honda plans to sell only zero-emissions vehicles across the globe.
By 2050 Honda and its products plan to be carbon neutral.
That's quite an agenda! However, Honda has already started to strive towards its goal of 'zero environmental impact'.
1.Its electric car batteries get a second life - most parts of an electric car can be recycled. However, lithium-ion batteries require a different approach. Partnering with SNAM, experts in reusing and recycling batteries, Honda hands over their 'end of life' car batteries and they get a second life for renewable energy storage. New batteries are created too, from extracted cobalt and lithium being fed back into production. Battery management will be a crucial stage in future sustainability.
2. Moving parts by rail, road and river - moving spare parts between sites needs to be managed in the most environmentally friendly way. Honda has been transporting its parts between sites using the canals of Belgium. Products and parts arrive at Antwerp and are taken by barge to Honda's sites in Gent and Aalst saving more than 14 tons of CO2 since June 2019, compared to traditional roadway logistics.
3. Halving life-cycle emissions - By 2050, Honda aims to halve the total product lifecycle CO2 emissions, compared with 2000 levels. This is equivalent to reducing tailpipe emissions by 80-90%. Electric cars are thought to have up to 70% lower average lifetime emissions than petrol cars. Honda has committed to 100% of their vehicles being electric (EV and fuel cell) by 2040.
4. Planting trees since the 1960s - committed to conservation and biodiversity, Honda started planting trees in Japan in the 1960s and then launched its Community Forest Programme in the mid-1970s. In 2011 Honda launched its own biodiversity guidelines, feeling they were an essential part of their commitment to the preservation of the global environment.
5. Finding fuels for the future - Honda is looking at solar, hydro and wind power to fuel its products. For example, electric powered cars like the Honda e. Electrolysis creates hydrogen and oxygen, so the hydrogen can be used to power fuel cell vehicles (FCV) like the Honda Clarity, being trialled in some markets. Hydrogen can also be mixed with recovered CO2 to become a synthetic fuel known as e-fuel. This e-fuel can be used in vehicles with internal combustion engines such as the HR-V hybrid.
All ways in which Honda is aiming to contribute to the preservation of the planet.
