Honda Motor Co. is in talks with General Motors over how to manufacture and procure parts for hydrogen fuel cell stacks as part of a technology development partnership, the Japanese automaker’s chief executive said on Thursday.
CEO Takahiro Hachigo announced the update on the collaboration after Honda launched in Japan the Clarity, its first mass-market fuel-cell vehicle, which will run on hydrogen rather than petrol. Honda said the Clarity has the longest driving range of all zero-emission vehicles—up to 466 miles at Japan standards. Priced at the equivalent of $67,000 in Japan, the Clarity will be available to local governments and businesses there before being sold to retail customers. The car is expected to go on sale in California by the end of the year for $60,000, according to Bloomberg.
Honda, along with Toyota and Hyundai, has championed the development of fuel cell vehicles as a way to cut tailpipe emissions. The cars’ range and refueling times are on par with internal-combustion engines, but they tend to be more expensive and hydrogen stations are hard to find.
Hachigo said Honda’s partnership with GM could help lower the cost of hydrogen-powered cars to that of hybrids by 2025.
Honda and General Motors have been collaborating on developing fuel cell technology since 2013. Hachigo said the companies may extend their partnership to tackle the development of other technologies like electric cars and artificial intelligence.
(Reporting by Maki Shiraki; Editing by Miral Fahmy)
