Honda, GM To Build Factory For Fuel-Cell Production By 2025

 by John Voelcker of www.greencarreports.com

The cost of developing advanced zero-emission powertrains for future vehicles is substantial, even for the world's largest carmakers.

Especially in hydrogen fuel-cell research, the biggest auto companies are doubling and tripling up to share the costs.

Honda and GM said in July 2013 that they would share their fuel-cell development efforts, and now the two companies are taking a further step in their partnership.

According to Japanese news service Asahi Shimbun, the pair will set up a joint factory to manufacture fuel-cell stacks, with a goal of starting production by 2025 at the latest.

Each company will manufacture its own vehicles using the shared technology, however.

Honda plans to launch its Clarity mid-size sedan model for 2017; the first iteration will be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, although later versions may include battery-electric and plug-in hybrid powertrains as well.

General Motors has been more circumspect about any plans for hydrogen-powered vehicles. It is now focusing on its 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, a battery-electric car with 200 miles of range it will start selling at the end of this year.

GM also has the second-generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, with a rated range of 53 miles.

General Motors had the world's largest test fleet of hydrogen-powered vehicles eight years ago, with roughly 100 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell test vehicles in its Project Driveway program.

But after its 2009 bankruptcy and government-backed restructuring, the company shut down its fuel-cell R&D efforts in Honeoye Falls, New York, and transferred some of those employees to its development center in Warren, Michigan.

Honda, meanwhile, is second only to Toyota in its plans to sell fuel-cell vehicles.

Both companies are responding to the Japanese government's strong push to create a "Hydrogen Economy" in which the fuel is used not only for vehicles but also for industrial power, home heating, and more.

Even Toyota has partnered with BMW, however, to share costs. Or, perhaps more accurately, the smaller German maker will take advantage of the costly technology Toyota developed for its Mirai fuel-cell sedan in exchange for cooperation on sportier-car projects.

Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler has linked up with both Ford and Nissan to pool hydrogen development efforts.

Mercedes is expected to launch a version of its new GLC sport-utility vehicle powered by a fuel cell sometime next year, though volumes are likely to be quite low.

Source;
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101933_honda-gm-to-build-factory-for-fuel-cell-production-by-2025

Honda targets Acura output in China by 2016

Deal with Guangzhou likely to build compact SUV

(Reuters) -- Japan's Honda Motor Co. is planning to produce Acura cars in China with a local partner starting in 2016 to tap growing demand for luxury vehicles in the world's biggest auto market.

Honda said Thursday it has agreed with Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. to jointly produce Acura cars in China. It did not provide other details including the anticipated size of production capacity or which models it plans to manufacture where.

A Beijing-based Honda spokeswoman said one Acura model that is likely to be produced in China is a new compact SUV that is not offered in the brand's product lineup today. The new model is likely to be based on a "concept" model -- the Acura SUV-X -- that it showed off at the Shanghai auto show in April, she said.
Honda's chief executive, Takanobu Ito, said at the Shanghai auto show that the Tokyo-based automaker planned to produce Acura cars in China within the next three years.

Guangzhou, China's sixth-largest carmaker ranked by sales, assembles Honda vehicles in China through a joint venture with the Japanese automaker.

Honda's move comes as a slew of global premium auto brands pile into China. One key factor for global automakers to ensure that an upscale brand succeeds in China is local production. Because of high tariffs charged on cars brought into China from overseas, it is difficult to generate volume unless a carmaker produces upscale cars locally in the country.

Audi AG, Mercedes-Benz and BMW all produce models in China with local partners.

General Motors has recently begun producing Cadillac cars in China. Among Japanese automakers, Nissan Motor Co. is building a factory in the eastern city of Dalian to produce some models for its upscale Infiniti brand.

Luxury vehicle demand in China is likely to reach 2.7 million cars a year by 2020, a level that would allow China to displace the United States as the world's biggest premium car market.


Source;
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130718/GLOBAL03/130719863/honda-targets-acura-output-in-china-by-2016#axzz2ZOkvVecg

Honda may share platforms, facilities with Malaysia's Proton

KUALA LUMPUR (Bloomberg) -- Honda Motor Co., Japan's third-largest automaker, may share car platforms and production facilities with Malaysian national carmaker Proton Holdings, owner of the British sports car maker Lotus Group International Ltd.

The companies signed an agreement on Monday and will also explore opportunities to collaborate in technology and new product line-up, according to a Kuala Lumpur stock exchange filing by Proton's parent, DRB-Hicom Bhd.

"Having a strong and renowned global automotive player like Honda Motor as the foreign strategic partner to Proton will provide the group with the opportunity to grow as an original equipment manufacturer," DRB said in the statement. "The opportunities are endless."

Honda already produces cars in Malaysia, including CR-V sports utility vehicles.

For Proton, the deal may provide access to technology that could help it boost exports, after holding unsuccessful alliance talks with Volkswagen and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen.

DRB, an autos-to-property group controlled by billionaire Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, wants to bolster Proton after taking over the Malaysian carmaker this year.

The agreement "indicates DRB's commitment and initiative in restructuring Proton and turning it around with strategic partnership," Daniel Wong, an analyst at Hong Leong Financial Group Bhd., wrote in a report on Monday, ahead of the statement. "We strongly believe that DRB is taking swift actions in integrating newly acquired Proton and contributing positively to the group."

Proton, set up by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1983 to steer the Southeast Asian nation's industrialization plan, has been struggling to compete with rivals including Toyota Motor Corp.

Source;

http://europe.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121030/ANE/310309994/honda-may-share-platforms-facilities-with-malaysias-proton

Proton-Honda tie-up: A drive in the right direction

The collaboration agreement between Proton Holdings Bhd and Honda
Motor Co Ltd Japan announced on Monday came as a surprise with
many analysts saying the news was not expected that soon.
 
However, research houses are positive that the agreement will be advantageous to the national carmaker given Honda’s superiority in hi-tech engines.

This tie-up, said RHB Research, could give Proton access to drivetrain and platform technology at a possibly lower cost given its absence of economies of scale.

“Honda is an acknowledged leader in hi-tech engines with numerous products spanning across many segments,” it said.

Noting that it is a positive direction for Proton, the research house, however, said the choice of the national carmaker’s partner was not anticipated and the timing, sooner than expected.

RHB Research added that the maiden collaborative product could be a Perdana replacement model.

It expects the tie-up possibly allowing Honda to utilise Proton’s under-utilised Tanjung Malim plant in Perak, as a means of mitigating its risks by spreading out production capacity over multiple locations.

Honda has an assembly plant in Pegoh, Malacca, and a major facility in Ayutthaya, Thailand.

RHB Research also said that Monday’s announcement would in the next few months be followed by other plans such as rationalising Proton’s sales and servicing network to eliminate overlaps between Edaran Otomobil Nasional and Proton Edar.

It reiterated its “outperform” call on DRBHICOM, Proton’s owner, at a fair value of RM3.60.

“We believe DRB-HICOM has multi-year growth potential with significant under-valued assets. However, some degree of patience from investors will be needed to implement the new
initiatives,” it said.

Meanwhile, AmResearch has reaffirmed its “buy” rating on DRB-HICOM at RM3.80 as its fair value.

“We were surprised that Honda came into the picture as it was heavily speculated that a Volkswagen (VW) tie-up was imminent,” said AmResearch.

AmResearch said based on its discussions with Proton's management, the tie-up will not involve any Honda equity participation as the focus will be to develop a 2.0-litre car via platform-sharing.

"There is further upside as we believe that there will be similar arrangements with its other partners to produce models in different segments," AmResearch said, adding that the tie-up is set to be finalised within six months.

It also does not rule out a tie-up with VW to produce B segment cars as this will help resolve the underutilisation of the plant in Tanjung Malim.

Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) also said the tie-up news was positive as this will give DRB-HICOM the chance to develop as top regional player in the growing automotive components and parts segment.

HLIB noted that Honda selected Malaysia as a regional hub after Japan and the US for manufac-turing hybrid cars by 2014 to 2015, after investing RM350 million to double its Pegoh plant's capacity to 100,000 units a year.

On Bursa Malaysia yesterday, DRB-HICOM closed one sen lower at RM2.52 with 71.02 million shares traded.

Source;

http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20121031001757/Article/index_html

IBM, Honda, PG&E Launch Smart EV Charging Project

IBM, Honda’s American arm and Pacific Gas and Electric will collaborate on a pilot project to allow communication between electric vehicles and the power grid, the companies have announced.

The project aims to demonstrate and test an electric vehicle’s ability to receive and respond to charge instructions based on the grid condition and the vehicle’s battery state. With visibility into charging patterns, energy providers will have the ability to more effectively manage charging during peak hours and create consumer-friendly programs to encourage adoption, the companies hope.

During the pilot, Honda Fit EVs (pictured) will initiate a charge request once plugged into a charge post. This request gets sent to IBM’s Electric Vehicle Enablement Platform, where vehicle data such as battery state is combined with grid data received from PG&E to create an optimized charge schedule, which is then communicated back to the vehicle. Using this aggregated data, the vehicle has the intelligence to charge to the level that is needed while factoring in any current grid constraints, IBM says.

The energy requirements for electric vehicles will challenge the current power grid as plug-in vehicle counts continue to grow to an expected 2.9 million worldwide by 2017, IBM says. If successful, the project has the potential to ease the infrastructure and consumer concerns associated with the mass adoption of EVs, by adding another layer of agility to the EV charging process, IBM says.

This is not PG&E’s first foray into electric vehicles. In January, the company unveiled an extended-range electric pickup truck designed especially for utilities, jointly developed with VIA Motors. The eREVs run their first 40 miles on electricity, before switching to gasoline, and can provide on-site power to shorten small outages, eliminate some planned outages, and boost the electric grid when needed.

In October last year, GE and Nissan launched a two-year collaboration to develop smart charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The effort is focusing on the integration of electric vehicles with homes and buildings and on the future impact on the electric grid once millions of EVs are on the road.

Source;
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/12/ibm-honda-pge-launch-smart-ev-charging-project/

Honda Recognizes Environmentally Responsible Battery Chargers

FERNDALE, Wash., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- ALTEN Battery Chargers Inc. is pleased to announce that it has been recognized as an OEM partner with Honda Inc., as it introduces the first full line of portable DC battery chargers to the North American market. Powered by Honda's environmentally responsible, advanced four-stroke engines, ALTEN's portable battery chargers can save up to four hours (67%) of time and offer up to 67% savings in fuel over conventional battery charging methods.

With over 10,000 battery chargers sold around the world, North America now has the opportunity to experience the quickest way to bulk charge batteries.

Originally designed for the rugged Australian Outback, by Christie Engineering, ALTEN's portable battery chargers are used in applications including mountain-top communication stations, charging batteries in unmanned lighthouses on the Norwegian coastline, and servicing heavy industrial equipment with the roughest abuse imaginable. "As a recognized Honda OEM partner, you can be assured that clean and reliable DC power supply will be there when you need it," says ALTEN President Will Huggett.

Unlike an AC generator paired with a slow plug-in charger, ALTEN Battery Chargers are a fast and highly efficient way of charging 12, 24 and 48-volt battery configurations. They can deliver up to 120 Amps per hour of run time consuming 0.4 gallons of fuel to achieve a 90% bulk charge on a 500 Amp/ Hour bank of batteries in 2 hours. Compared to a 3500W AC Generator, running at full throttle, paired with a 40 Amp plug- in charger, this same charging scenario would take 6 hours and consume 1.2 gallons of fuel. As a result ALTEN's portable battery chargers save fuel (67% savings), save time (four hours), lower emissions and increase reliability.

ALTEN, a Pacific Northwest company, offers a range of portable DC powered battery charger products for the Heavy Industrial, Off-Road, Marine, Security, and Emergency markets.
For more information and to see a high-resolution video demonstration of ALTEN battery chargers visit: http://www.altenbatterychargers.com

About ALTEN Battery Chargers Inc.
ALTEN Battery Chargers, based in the Pacific Northwest, was founded on the principal of solving the energy problems that matter. ALTEN brings ideas and technology to the North American market that help make better use of existing resources today in order to meet the growing demand for energy tomorrow. Focused on DC power and storage ALTEN's technology complements and offers reliable and redundant power for industrial battery applications, remote access power applications and micro generation platforms including solar photovoltaic, small wind and other renewable power generation installations. http://www.altenbatterychargers.com

Source;
http://sev.prnewswire.com/auto/20090224/AQTU04624022009-1.html