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| Honda focuses on rockets robots and flying cars |
Honda is increasing its spending on research and development in three emerging areas: rockets, robotics, and eVTOL, also known as flying cars.
The automaker will spend $45 billion on research and development over the next six years. Honda will not say how much money will be used to develop rockets, robots and flying cars, although it intends to run these projects as a company.
The company sees eVTOL robots, missiles and aircraft as an extension of its core business, the production of cars. For example, if a company can get a better platform for electric vehicles, the investment will be worth it.
And the company basically wants to know if it can build a prototype before taking the next step.
"The core technologies in these areas are relevant to our current business," the company said. We are exploring these new areas to grow our core business as a moving company.
The company said it was investigating eVTOL aircraft that could be used as part of the city's taxi services.
But unlike most start-ups that make light commercial vehicles using lithium-ion batteries, Honda has looked for a hybrid solution to meet customer needs.
Honda said the maximum range of the battery-powered electric planes can only be tens of kilometers.
By using fuel turbines to integrate with electric motors, they can achieve a range of up to 400 km, allowing for more profitable commercial flights.
The company has announced that it will decide whether or not to launch commercial air taxi services before 2025. The goal is to obtain regulatory certification and provide new services by 2030.
Honda spends $45 billion on research and development
Honda is not the only automaker to have expressed interest in eVTOL. Other companies such as Toyota and General Motors have invested in prototypes and concepts.
The goal of the robotics department is to develop multi-fingered hands capable of grasping and grasping certain objects.
The company is investigating how to do this via remote control, where a person wearing VR glasses and gloves can operate the robot's hand.
Honda is a pioneer in robotics, and together with Asimo they developed one of the first robots that can walk on two legs. But the automaker abandoned Asimo in 2018 to focus on deploying the technology to more practical use cases in nursing and road traffic.
The company envisions employees using on-screen digital avatars to attend remote meetings and interact with physical objects.
The company says it allows people to live in a place of their choosing without being bound by job obligations.
Honda hopes to combine propulsion, steering and steering technologies through a reusable missile program. The automaker began developing missile technology in 2019.
If it can use this rocket to put small satellites into low orbit, it can expand its core technology to include various services, including communication services.
The auto industry is undergoing a major transformation as most of the major companies have promised to phase out petrol vehicles and switch to electric vehicles.
Honda is no exception, and it promises to stop selling internal combustion engine cars by 2040. It's also a very expensive and risky project because American consumers are slow to embrace electricity.