Honda launches 2 electric car models to compete with Tesla

In a move to compete with Tesla and mark a change in its strategy, the Japanese automaker said it will launch two electric car models for the Chinese and European markets in 2018.

In its statement, Honda said it will introduce an electric vehicle specifically for the European market called the Urban EV Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September and confirmed that this will be Honda's first electric vehicle in Europe.

Honda’s ambition is to have two-thirds of its vehicles electric by 2030. Currently, Honda has only one all-electric vehicle in the US, the Clarity, but it only has a range of about 87 miles per charge.

There is no information yet about the company's upcoming electric car, but it is likely that the car will travel more than 100 miles per charge.

Honda’s push into electric cars marks a significant shift in strategy for the Japanese giant, which has previously focused on hybrids and bet that they would be the vehicles of the future.

However, with other major automakers in the world continuously announcing that they will produce electric cars and many countries, including China, introducing policies supporting electric vehicles, Honda has had to change its strategy.

Honda's self-driving electric vehicle concept with a range of over 300km. Photo: Honda

Last year, Honda set up a division dedicated to developing electric vehicles and laid out more ambitious plans. However, Honda is still lagging behind other automakers, especially in battery technology and fast charging.

While Honda is still struggling to increase the travel distance from 160km to 200km per charge, other manufacturers such as Volkswagen, Ford, and Nissan are committed to launching models with a travel distance of up to 250 to 300km per charge.

In particular, Tesla's super product Model 3 is capable of traveling a distance of up to 350km on a single charge.

Along with many other automakers, Honda is pushing hard to gain market share in China. The world’s most populous country has just introduced a series of regulations in favor of electric vehicles, with the goal of electric cars accounting for at least one-fifth of all car sales by 2025.

According to Tuoitre