Honda Officially Abandons the All-Electric Fantasy-The EV Revolution Is Over Before It Began
Hello everyone. So, Honda – the once mildly exciting, now increasingly beige overlord of the midlife-crisis driveway – has decided that the all-electric dream is less of a utopia and more of a migraine. Yes, in a plot twist worthy of a B-grade racing sim’s story mode, they’ve slammed the brakes on their battery-busting ambitions, citing market “cooling,” financial hemorrhaging, and the vanishing magic beans known as government tax credits. Shocking? Not if you’ve paid attention to more than a Tesla press release in the last half-decade.
The Financial Dumpster Fire
Here’s the bloodwork, folks – and it’s not looking good. Honda’s EV division just booked a one-time write-off of 113.4 billion yen. That’s $780 million for those who don’t think in Godzilla currency. Burned on EV production, lost sales, and the heartbreak of scrapping models before they even got to be Instagram fodder for coastal tech bros. The total EV-related expenses for the year? A pulse-stopping 650 billion yen – about $4.47 billion. Those aren’t numbers from a bold growth plan; those are the vitals of a patient bleeding out on the table while the accountant yells, “Clamp!”
Their two U.S. EV models, the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX, are selling like month-old sushi. Incentives? An average of more than $12,000 per Prologue, and an artery-clogging $21,000 discount per ZDX last quarter. Even with discounts so steep they make Steam Summer Sales look stingy, Honda’s EV market share? Circling the drain.
From BEV Zealot to Hybrid Pragmatist
In an ironic twist that probably has Toyota chuckling into their hybrid-powered teacups, Honda’s backpedaling faster than a Call of Duty teammate who accidentally charged into the spawn. They now say the goal is “carbon neutrality” – not making every car run purely on batteries. Translation: they still want the green merit badge, but without setting themselves on fire financially.
Step one of the pivot? Hybrids. Yes, those half-breeds EV purists turned their noses up at for being “not pure enough.” Now, suddenly, they’re the messiah of pragmatic green motoring. Between 2025 and 2035, nearly every popular Honda in America is going hybrid, because apparently the only thing more expensive than gas is losing billions chasing the EV unicorn.
Step two? Hydrogen-powered Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles. They spit out nothing but water vapor and sound great on a PowerPoint slide, but have all the infrastructure presence of a rare Pokémon – technically “there,” but good luck finding it in your town.
The Great Industry Wake-Up Call
A few years ago, BEVs were the golden child of the climate movement. Politicians loved them, investors worshipped them, and Twitter tech evangelists shouted “gas cars are dead” like zealots at a revival. Now? The cold bony hand of reality has knocked on the door. Charging infrastructure still stinks in half the country, EV sticker prices are still anxiety-inducing, and subsidies that once masked the economic shortcomings have vanished.
Honda throwing in the towel on an all-BEV future is more than corporate repositioning – it’s the industry equivalent of a supposedly unstoppable raid boss suddenly retreating and calling for backup. If one of the global big boys no longer believes the “pure EV” hype, expect others to follow suit. The transition to clean transport just got slower, messier, and a lot more political.
Final Diagnosis
As your friendly neighborhood critical care doctor for tech hype, here’s the prognosis: Honda’s not dying, but the pure-BEV fever has definitely broken. They’re going to drip-feed hybrids, dabble in hydrogen, and keep working on batteries behind the curtain. The patient might survive, but only because they stepped away from the cliff before the final step. Financial triage complete, for now.
Overall impression? The move is grounded in reality but reeks of corporate backpedaling. I respect the survivability instinct, but the dreamers will see this as betrayal. In gaming terms, Honda rage-quit the EV speedrun but claims it was all part of a long-game meta strategy. Believe that if you wish.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is entirely my opinion.
Article source: Honda Is Giving Up on the All-Electric Dream, https://gizmodo.com/honda-is-giving-up-on-the-all-electric-dream-2000640532
