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submitted 3 weeks ago by schizoidman@lemmy.zip to c/canada@lemmy.ca

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/63799437

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[-] gummi134@fedinsfw.app 29 points 3 weeks ago

Meanwhile, they're investing instead even more into Hydrogen. For some reason. Despite 20+ years of Hydrogen proving it will never be a viable consumer option. Same with Toyota.

[-] Kichae@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 weeks ago

That's pretty clear why: If electric is the future, they don't have one. They've decided they cannot compete in that space. They have to gamble on H2, because it's either be a leader there, or die a slow death.

[-] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 weeks ago

Meanwhile, they’re investing instead even more into Hydrogen.

uh, no. That project was part of the GM joint venture that ended. Both companies are developing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for industry and fleets where electric is not practical.

[-] i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca 18 points 3 weeks ago

Adios, Honda.

Any company doubling down on fossil fuels in 2026 is fucking toast. Did Mazda ever clue in and come up with an d strategy?

As a kid I just assumed all these giant car companies would be around forever. That their leadership knew how to stay in business and read the tea leaves.

Apparently I was wrong. They’re stupid af.

They're not really doubling down on fossil fuels. They're just going into hydrogen fuel cells instead. But, Toyota tried that and it's not working. The Japanese are incredibly stubborn for these things.

Meanwhile, China is coming with a new solid state battery for E.V.s that will revolutionize everything. Fast charging up to 80% within 5 min. Temperature doesn't affect the efficiency, will allow for longer range and is also safe against punctures as they don't catch on fire like conventional batteries.

[-] blarth 3 points 3 weeks ago

BYD Flash charging is sick as fuck.

[-] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago

, China is coming with a new solid state battery for E.V.s that will revolutionize everything.

every week those stories come out. Will be too expensive for most people if/when they ever actually appear.

[-] neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works 0 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It's because hydrogen is superior to electric batteries in terms of ease of storage, range, filling up, and probably even energy use when/if enough research is poured into it.

The issue is there's no infrastructure for it like we have for electric. Everyone can charge their car at home. Not everyone is willing to invest in a huge hydrogen electrolysis system at home to refuel.


Edit: to expand, since this comment seems to rub some people the wrong way.

EV is the clear winner in a practical sense, as evident by EV's exploding on the scene the last decade or so. However, if you look at the science objectively, Toyota and Honda are not wrong to have considered Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles as superior in many respects to EVs.

Either approach is better than ICE/fossil fuels, so EV or Hydrogen Fuel Cell, they're both wins.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells are the closest thing to a near 1:1 replacement of fossil fuels, without the fossil part of it. It is superior in terms of transportation, refueling, range, etc.. It is not as efficient in terms of energy output, but it is for storage. You can refuel in the same time it takes to refuel a gas powered car. The only waste is essentially water. It has a lot of limitations in terms of being able to produce your own at home, as not every home is going to want to invest $10k+ (at least the cost 10 years ago when I looked) in an anode based hydrogen fuel cell exchange. They are relatively easy to make though, but I don't think this is as easy as just plugging your car into the charger every night.

Li-Ion and Li-Pol batteries have severe limitations. Not just in recharge cycles, but in rare earth mineral costs, environmental damage, and just straight up energy limitations for how dense the energy storage can be ratioed to the weight and stability/safety.

Hydrogen fuel cells have none of those limitations, and their efficiency is by how efficient we can make the hydrogen consumption, so there's a lot more potential for improvements down the road without being hamstrung on energy storage problems.

They also weigh less, so they get better range, and are safer cars on the road because of the lower weight. They also won't require replacing the battery every 10 or so years (sooner if you drove a Nissan Leaf...).

You got sources for these claims?

[-] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world -1 points 3 weeks ago

The Japanese are incredibly stubborn for these things

They’re not stubborn, they don’t have a choice. The Japanese electrical grid is antiquated and stressed to the breaking point. A massive consumer migration to EVs would cause total collapse.

There aren’t any easy solutions either. The Fukushima nuclear disaster has made the situation even worse, both by reducing the amount of generation capacity and by constraining policy (new nuclear plants are politically untenable now).

Renewables seem like the obvious answer, but the grid infrastructure isn’t good there. There’s No storage capacity, nor is there any geographic redundancy. Japan is a country of 122 million people crammed into a few small islands. When the sun stops shining, it stops shining for the whole country. When the wind doesn’t blow, it doesn’t blow for the whole country. This means if they become dependent on a lot of renewables they become susceptible to multiple-day blackouts, with potentially severe consequences in the winter.

[-] farmgineer@nord.pub 4 points 3 weeks ago

There's a lot wrong with this.

new nuclear plants are politically untenable now

Was the case but not so much now, especially as rising prices and inflation are crunching families. Several parties now include at least reviving shut-down plants that are safe to do.

the grid infrastructure isn’t good there

Could you elaborate here?

When the sun stops shining, it stops shining for the whole country

We're not that small, even going on the main islands alone.

When the wind doesn’t blow, it doesn’t blow for the whole country.

And this is just plain wrong for a number of climate and geographical reasons.

I've lived in Japan for more than a decade both in greater Tokyo and rural Tohoku in addition to traveling all around it.

[-] Jarix@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

I thought the previous financial crisis in 2008 was at least a wake up call, I mean look at the story that is Stellantis today. It's nutty. Quite silly. So obviously shooting yourself in the foot.

Unless someone like BYD in China is making moves to buyout Honda's Automotive branch

[-] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 0 points 3 weeks ago

YD in China is making moves to buyout Honda’s Automotive branch

BYD is very near broke.

Do you guys get all your info from Youtubers?

[-] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago

Your link is based on them only making $1.3B in q1, instead of hoping for $1.4B profit. As AI would say, that's not broke, that's a 1300 foot superyacht.

[-] lemmyng@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago
[-] onlyhalfminotaur@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago

Fuck Honda. Even Toyota is seeing the light finally.

[-] AGM@lemmy.ca 8 points 3 weeks ago

A Kodak moment.

[-] LoveCanada@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 weeks ago

Y'all are silly if you think Honda is going to go bankrupt if they dont invest in electric cars.

Honda is not a CAR company, its an ENGINE company. They dont just put them into cars, they build motorcycles, rototillers, lawnmowers, pressure washers, generators, outboards, scooters, ATVs, side by sides, snowblowers, water pumps, a ton of general purpose industrial motors AND they make jets. They might know a thing or two about engines that EV lovers haven't figured out yet - the money is still in gas engines.

[-] chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago

I mean......they could just make electric engines. Ya know.....motors. Something they ALREADY MAKE for hybrid vehicles.

[-] betanumerus@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Honda probably can't make electric engines. Honda's specialty is indeed ICEs for all those things he's listing. Unfortunately for them, they're bound to keep losing market shares in all those sectors because electric propulsion is technically superior and getting cheaper. Honda is an ICE company that's well diversified beyond automobiles, but electric propulsion will crush ICEs in all those sectors. Yes Honda's ICEs in all sectors will be crushed like Slurpees 🤣

[-] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 weeks ago

Honda probably can’t make electric engines.

You know they make satellite orbit rockets? Right?

[-] DanVctr@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 weeks ago

I'm on your side, but I think their point was more "the investment for switching from ICE to electric manufacturing would be extremely costly in time and money across the board", not "Honda doesn't have engineering capabilities like this"

[-] HertzDentalBar@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 3 weeks ago

Electric engines are just an electric motor bro, they already make those

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[-] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 weeks ago

Honda won’t last long.

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this post was submitted on 05 May 2026
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