Honda – The Power of Dreams (Better environment, living & safety)

EcoGeek – PopSci Chats With Honda CEO <http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/278/>

Popular Science – Hydrogen-Bombing Down the Track <http://www.popsci.com/popsci/automotivetech/5ca4f35e5990e010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd/2.html>

On a recent trip to Honda’s R&D center in Utsunomia, Japan, PopSci got a rare opportunity to sit down and chat one on one with the company’s president and CEO, Takeo Fukui (福井威夫). We discussed motorcycle racing, the future of the automotive industry, and, of course, robots. Here’s what he had to say.

You must be very excited for tomorrow’s race [the Grand Prix of Japan].
Yes, I am. Motegi is our home track, so I am optimistic that Nicky [Nicky Hayden, Honda's team driver] will win [he came in sixth].

OK, down to business [we only had 10 minutes for the interview]. You started out at Honda working on the 1973 CVCC, the first car to meet the stringent oil-embargo-era EPA emissions standards, so you have unique insight into the challenges of a fuel crisis. The end of that crisis proved that the American consumer had a very short memory—as recently as two years ago, cars that barely exceeded 10 miles per gallon were flying off the lots. If this fuel crisis passes in a similar fashion, how long do you think it will take before America forgets again, and how will Honda, as a company supplying that market, respond?
Yes, Americans love big cars, and they will want them whenever possible. Honda will, of course, give them what they want, but our cars will always be the most fuel-efficient in their respective classes. Over and above the availability of fuel, we have a serious problem with global warming that needs urgent attention, so Honda vehicles will always strive to reduce carbon dioxide emissions regardless of the price of fuel.

How much of the company’s current focus on efficiency can you take credit for, and how much of it is due to Honda’s identity?
The credit for this focus goes all the way back to Soichiro Honda (本田宗一郎), our company’s founder. He made his name famous with four-stroke motorcycle engines that were more efficient than any of the two-stroke competitors. Environmental sensitivity is historically and currently at the core of our corporate DNA. And actually, we started working on the CVCC before the 1970s oil crisis; it was just coincidental that we launched it when there was a real need for that car. You can even look at our new HondaJet. It’s 40 percent more efficient than any other plane in its class, and we started work on that project years in advance of this most recent fuel shortage.

So does that mean that the next NSX, which you have said will have a V-10 engine, will be a green supercar?
[Laughs] I don’t think there’s such a thing, but it will definitely be the most efficient car in its class.

Honda aggressively pushes hydrogen as the fuel of the future, but there is a lot of criticism because hydrogen takes so much energy to generate and often uses fossil fuels to do so. Is hydrogen the ultimate solution to our automotive environmental problems, or is there something beyond that, a further step toward efficiency that Honda has in the works?
It is important to understand that hydrogen is not a fuel but a means of transporting energy in a manner that does not create a toxic waste product. In the future, I envision an electric car that runs off hydrogen generated by solar panels. So don’t compare hydrogen to oil. Compare sunlight to oil, and there, I think, is an excellent solution.

Is Honda developing new solar technologies as well?
Yes, and in fact, there’s a very good panel over there that we just developed [points to a new thin-film solar panel].

What percent of Honda’s R&D budget is spent on solar technology?
I can’t be specific about that.

Is efficiency the legacy you’d like to leave?
Yes, I am proud to continue our corporate vision, but, as I said, that is Soichiro Honda’s legacy. If I might presume to wish to be remembered for something, it would be for making a positive difference in as many ways as possible, even beyond fuel-efficient vehicles. I think that is the duty of all good corporate citizens.

In what ways other than vehicles is Honda improving people’s lives?
One example is our robot, Asimo. I’d like to see one in every home, freeing up the parents to spend more time with their children, helping to educate children, and caring for the elderly.

Thanks very much for taking the time to speak with us.
It was my pleasure.

Honda Civic CVCC

HondaJet & Asimo

Honda President & CEO Takeo Fukui with FCX Concept

EcoGeek – Takeo Fukui: Honda’s EcoGeek (and CEO) <http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/123/>

Their research budget is the biggest in the car industry, more than $3,000 per vehicle sold, but it’s not all going towards their 2009 diesel engine that will be 30% more fuel efficient than today’s engines. They’re researching robots, genetically engineering sugar cane for ethanol production, bio-plastics for airplane fuselages, and yes, fuel cells, hybrid technology and alternative hydrocarbons.

Honda is certainly on the forefront of the green revolution. So let’s all take our hats of to Takeo Fukui who recently said, in an interview, “We’d like to have the brand image as the world’s biggest contributor to the environment.”

Honda Next-Generation Diesel Engine System

Advanced VTEC engine

Civic FFV(Prototype)

References

Honda Worldwide – Do You Remember September 24,1948 ?
<http://world.honda.com/history/limitlessdreams/doyouremember/photo01/index.html>

Honda Worldwide – Introducing the CVCC (1972)
<http://world.honda.com/history/challenge/1972introducingthecvcc/index.html>

Honda (jp) – Honda Civic CVCC
<http://www.honda.co.jp/factbook/auto/CIVIC/19731212/index.html>

Honda (jp) – Honda Philosophy
<http://www.honda.co.jp/guide/dreams/philosophy/>

Honda Worldwide – Honda Demonstrates the FCX Concept Vehicle
- Fully functional Next-Generation Fuel Cell makes its driving debut -
<http://world.honda.com/news/2006/4060925FCXConcept/photo/pages/01.html>

Honda Worldwide – Honda Develops Next-Generation Clean Diesel Engine Capable of Meeting Stringent Tier II Bin 5 Emissions Requirements in the U.S.
<http://world.honda.com/news/2006/c060925DieselEngine/>

Honda Worldwide – Honda Develops Advanced VTEC Engine Combining High Power and Environmental Performance
<http://world.honda.com/news/2006/4060925VTEC/>

Honda Worldwide – Honda Develops Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) System For Introduction in Brazil in 2006
<http://world.honda.com/news/2006/4060925FlexibleFuelVehicle/>

Honda (jp)
<http://www.honda.co.jp/>

Honda Worldwide
<http://world.honda.com/>

Honda Worldwide – Takeo Fujisawa Joins Honda (1949)
<http://world.honda.com/history/limitlessdreams/entrepreneur/index.html>

Soichiro Honda (left) and Takeo Fujisawa shown at the time they first combined their talents and shared their dreams.

本田先生的車夢固然是本田的創立的重要因素，但不得不提的是本田先生曾說過很遺憾將自己的姓作了公司的名，因為如果沒有藤澤武夫 (Takeo Fujisawa) 先生的高超營銷策略和技巧，本田就不會有今天的模樣。他希望人們提起 Honda 時也會記得藤澤先生，本田的根基是他倆共同建立的。

Honda Worldwide – Company Leaders Honda and Fujisawa Retire; Kawashima Assumes Presidency(1973) <http://world.honda.com/history/challenge/1973companyleaders/index.html>

在他與年輕的機械工程師爭論氣冷和水冷式引擎的優缺點時，全靠聽了他的老伙伴藤澤先生的一席話 (“Are you going to stay on as president, or are you going to stay with Honda as an engineer?”)，才明白到要讓年輕的機械工程師發揮，自己不能再做最喜歡做的汽車研發工作。數年後他倆了解到 “We can’t keep up with the times anymore.” 而選擇攜手退休，將公司完全交給新一輩領導發展，使公司更有活力，製造的產品更貼近使用者的要求。

本田對環境保護的注重仍其傳統，從革命性的 CVCC 一直到剛停產的混燃車 Insight；現在的 Civic 和 Accord Hybrid、 Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV)； 將來的 FCX、潔淨柴油引擎等等。近年更特別注意駕駛者、乘客以至行人的安全，在航空和機械人技術的突破也十分令人注目。

另外，福井先生提到兩個發人深省的論點︰

「希望將來的機械人能做家務，讓父母能騰出多些時間陪伴子女、教育他們以及照顧長者，」

「一間負責任的公司要在各方面造出有建設性的突破，遠超過單單製造高效能汽車。」

喜歡本田，就是喜歡它的歷史、傳統、經營哲學、理念。 順理成章，也就喜歡上結合它們製造出來的產品。