Important Innovations

Honda eVTOLs For City Commuting                                                                      Source:  Honda's eVTOL Next G Urban Air Mobility Honda is developing an electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) flying taxi to make "mobility in the sky more accessible to people."  Just using electricity, it can travel 100 miles.  When combined with a turbine engine, the hybrid electric eVTOL can travel 400 miles.  Honda recently disclosed that it is going full throttle into the flying taxi business.  Their eVTOL is specifically designed for intra-city and city to city travel, which Honda believes is about to grow significantly. In a presentation, Honda used the example of a businessperson on Cape Cod using the eVTOL to quickly and smoothly travel from the Cape to New York City and back within a day. Tech Specs The eVTOL uses 8, small propellers to get lift and then deploys 3 pusher props and its wings to fly forwards.  The power to fly is generated by a hyb

  Breakthrough, Zero Emissions, Electric Car                                                                                  Source:  Honda Clarity No Charging is Needed on This EV The EV is called the Honda Clarity and it is revolutionary new green technology. It is powered by ordinary air and hydrogen.  Their combination triggers a chemical reaction that generates electricity to power the car. Clarity is an FCEV or a fuel cell electric vehicle.  What is truly remarkable about the vehicle is the way electricity is produced and that no charging at all is needed to drive the car. How Does It Work? What makes the Clarity so different is the pressurized fuel tank of hydrogen that the driver fills.  When combined with air, it yields enough electricity to provide a 366 mile range.  There is no charging needed.  And the fuel system is zero emissions producing only water vapor.  This is breakthrough, new automotive technology that Honda has been developing for several years that is now comin

  Breakthrough, Zero Emissions, Electric Car                                                                                  Source:  Honda Clarity No Charging is Needed on This EV The EV is called the Honda Clarity and it is revolutionary new green technology. It is powered by ordinary air and hydrogen.  Their combination triggers a chemical reaction that generates electricity to power the car. Clarity is an FCEV or a fuel cell electric vehicle.  What is truly remarkable about the vehicle is the way electricity is produced and that no charging at all is needed to drive the car. How Does It Work? What makes the Clarity so different is the pressurized fuel tank of hydrogen that the driver fills.  When combined with air, it yields enough electricity to provide a 366 mile range.  There is no charging needed.  And the fuel system is zero emissions producing only water vapor.  This is breakthrough, new automotive technology that Honda has been developing for several years that is now comin

  World's First Vehicle With New Level 3 Self-Driving                                                       Source:  Honda Honda's Legend Sedan Rolls Out in Japan Honda has made a big global automotive step in the autonomous driving direction.  In Japan, it has just rolled out a partially self-driving Legend sedan.  That makes Honda the world's first automaker to sell a vehicle equipped with new, certified level 3 autonomous driving technology.  The vehicle is available for lease in Japan.  The rollout is a very cautious one with a limited supply of 100 vehicles in Japan.  This is a powerful example of a concept, self-driving car being commercialized. Traffic Jam Pilot The new technology is highly advanced.  The car's "Traffic Jam Pilot" system controls acceleration, braking and steering under specific circumstances.  Its purpose is to avoid accidents caused by human error.   How The Tech Works When the system is activated, the driver can watch a movie or use

  New Electric Urban Mobility                                                    Source:  Honda NeuV Concept Car A Car Designed to Make Money For The Owner Knowing that 96% of the time, privately owned vehicles sit idle, Honda has created a concept car that enables the owner to monetize the vehicle.  The car is called the NeuV or New Electric Urban Vehicle.  NewV can make money for the owner in two ways.  It can function as an automated ride-sharing service, ferrying passengers locally when the owner isn't using the car.  The vehicle can also be used to sell energy to the grid when it is not in use.  Honda says it specifically designed the vehicle to make money for the owner during its downtime periods.  That is a first for a consumer market car. Comes With an AI Assistant NeuV is also distinctive in that it comes with an unique AI assistant and an "emotion engine", which is cutting edge technology being developed by Honda and SoftBank.  The emotion engine is called HANA

Innovative, Advanced Airbag Technology Source:  Honda Honda Will Deploy Next Generation Airbags in 2020 Vehicles Honda calls its new invention the catcher's mitt airbag.  The advanced airbag technology provides a wide protective barrier across the car dashboard and catches and cradles the front passenger's head like a catcher's mitt.  For a news blog on this new technology, go to Important Innovations Collection: Honda's Catcher's Mitt Airbag : Next Generation Airbag that Catches & Cradles the Head Source:  Honda Airbag Innovative New Passenger Front Airbag Design Honda&...

Vehicles Electric and On-Demand Source:  Toyota Electric Car First Market Japan  The Toyota SoftBank electric vehicle alliance now includes Mazda, Suburu, Suzuki, Isuzu and Toyota's compact car unit Daihatsu.  Each will invest $530,620 in the venture called Monet in return for a 2% stake in the EV company.  They join Honda and Hino Trucks, each of which have a 10% stake in the new entity.  Toyota and SoftBank own 35% each in a venture now capitalized at $26.6 million. Big Plans for Monet The group plans to rollout on demand bus and car services next year.  Monet is building up members for its on demand services and  expects to have a service platform for electric vehicles by 2023.  This alliance is a primary example of automakers joining forces to offer vehicle services rather than selling cars and to share the massive investment to develop new electric vehicles.

Knowing What's Around the Corner Source:  Honda's Smart Intersection Display Smart Tech for Smarter, Safer Driving Audi and Honda are setting up and testing smart intersections in the US.  The approach involves display alerts on your dashboard and cameras positioned at intersections.  Audi's technology sends an alert to the driver warning that a light is going to turn red before you get through it.  Honda's sends an alert of an oncoming emergency vehicle, car or pedestrian that are not yet in sight. Audi's Pilot Program Audi is working in Washington, DC and Las Vegas to outfit intersections to work with Audi's countdown traffic lights system.  The system is designed to give the driver ample warning that they aren't going to make it through a light before it turns red. Honda's Pilot Program Honda has a Smart Intersection pilot program underway in Marysville, Ohio.  The system flashes a yellow image of an unseen vehicle on the HUD - he