Alternative Fuel Vehicles to Make Up Two-Thirds of Honda's Lineup by 2030

Electrified vehicles are starting to make their way into the mainstream, in a process that has picked up its pace lately, with virtually all major automakers expanding their hybrid and pure electric model lineups and managing to make them more affordable to the average consumer.

Japanese manufacturer Honda has decided to join the group of companies with long-term commitments to electric vehicles, with its CEO stating that the company plans to drastically increase the number of hybrids and all-electric models over the next few years.

Setting an Ambitious Target

Honda's CEO, Takahiro Hachigo, said during a press conference recently that by 2030, two-thirds of all vehicles sold by Honda will be either powered by electricity, hydrogen, or a combination of gasoline and electricity.

According to him, pure electric cars, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and fuel-cell vehicles, will make up almost 70 percent of all Honda vehicles within the next 15 years, which is an ambitious goal that at the moment seems hard to achieve.

As the Wall Street Journal reports, about 50% of Honda's sales by 2030 would be hybrids and plug-in hybrids, with hydrogen-powered vehicles accounting for an additional 15 percent.

Right now, vehicles with alternative powertrains represent only 5 percent of Honda's overall sales, with the majority of them being conventional or plug-in hybrids.

New Fuel-Cell Models to Be Launched

Currently, Honda offers several hybrid models, including the Accord and the Civic, in addition to the pure electric Fit EV. As far as fuel-cell vehicles are concerned, Honda has big plans for them.

The FCX Clarity was the first hydrogen-powered vehicle introduced by Honda, which is available for lease in Europe and Japan, in addition to the U.S. market. It was also the world's first vehicle with a dedicated fuel-cell powertrain platform.

Later this year, Honda will launch the new-generation Clarity sedan, which will be another zero-emission vehicle, with a range of over 300 miles, and refueling time between 3 and 5 minutes. It will first be available for lease in California for $500 a month, and later on, consumers will be able to purchase one for around $60,000.

On top of that, Honda has agreed to a collaboration with General Motors on a project for co-developing a new fuel-cell system, with the first model to use it expected to launch by the end of the decade.

Not a Lot of Competitors at the Moment

The only competitors that Honda's Clarity will be initially up against are the Toyota Mirai and the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell, with Toyota's hydrogen-powered sedan having a similar price tag, while the South Korean-built SUV can only be leased at the moment.

This means that Honda is in a good position to gain a large share in the fuel-cell vehicle market, but in the future, the competition is expected to become much fiercer.

To put it briefly, the announcement that two-thirds of Honda's lineup will consist of hybrids, fuel cell cars, or electric vehicles, is a pretty big deal for the automotive world. Honda is one of the world's largest automakers, so this news might be interpreted as an indication that the trend to abandon conventional vehicles and focus on alternative fuel vehicles, in particular hydrogen-powered ones, is about to be reinforced and the day when they become commonplace is getting closer.