Honda has increased its research and development expenditures in three futuristic areas, rockets, robots and electric vertical takeoff-and landing aircraft (eVTOL), also known as flying cars.
Over the next six-years, Honda will invest $45 billion (5 trillionyen) in R&D. Honda will not say how much of this amount will go on rockets, robots and flying cars development, or if they plan to pursue those projects as commercial businesses.
Honda actually sees robotics, rockets and eVTOL as extensions of its main business, which is manufacturing automobiles. It will be worthwhile if the company can create a better electric vehicle platform from it, for instance. It wants to test whether it can produce working prototypes before moving on to the next stage.
These core technologies are linked to our existing businesses
Marcos Frommer from Honda's corporate communications, stated that these core technologies are linked to Honda's existing businesses. He also said that we are exploring these new areas in order to expand our core business as a mobile company.
Honda claims it is looking at eVTOL aircraft to be part of an urban taxi service. Honda, however, is not like other startups that build lightweight multi-prop vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries. It will instead pursue a hybrid solution to achieve the desired range for our customers, Frommer stated.
Honda stated that a pure battery-electric aircraft can only travel a few tens of kilometers. Honda claims that it can achieve a range up to 250 miles by using gas turbines in conjunction with an electric motor. This will allow for more economically viable trips such as between Boston and New York City.
Honda states it will decide whether to launch a commercial air taxi service prior to 2025. The goal is to obtain regulatory certification and launch a new service by 2030.
Honda is not the only automaker that expressed interest in eVTOL. Toyota and GM have also made investments in prototypes and concepts.
Its robotics division aims to create multi-fingered fingers that can grasp and pick up certain objects. Honda is working on remote operation. This means that a human wearing a VR headset and a connected glove could operate the robot hand.
Honda is a pioneer of robotics
Honda is a pioneer of robotics. They invented Asimo, the first robot to walk on two feet. Asimo was discontinued by Honda in 2018, so that the automaker could focus on more practical uses in nursing and road transport.
Honda envisages a white collar with its Avatar robots that have digital screens instead of faces. They can remotely attend meetings or interact with physical objects. The company stated that this will enable people to choose where they want to live without having to conform to workplace requirements.
Frommer stated that Honda hopes to use its work propulsion and guidance technologies to create a reusable rocket program. He said that the automaker began developing rocket technology in 2019. He said that if we can launch small, low-orbit satellites with such rockets, then we can expect to develop our core technologies into other services, including connected ones.
It remains to be seen how successful these research projects are. Major companies are pledging to eliminate gas-powered cars and replace them with electric vehicles. This is a major shift in the auto industry. Honda is not the only one vowing to discontinue internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040. This is a costly and risky project. Americans have been slow to embrace electrification.
