Honda
Canvas Category OEM : Automotive
Honda has been the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a production of 400 million by the end of 2019, as well as the world’s largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than 14 million internal combustion engines each year. Honda became the second-largest Japanese automobile manufacturer in 2001. Honda was the eighth largest automobile manufacturer in the world in 2015. Honda was the first Japanese automobile manufacturer to release a dedicated luxury brand, Acura, in 1986. Aside from their core automobile and motorcycle businesses, Honda also manufactures garden equipment, marine engines, personal watercraft and power generators, and other products. Since 1986, Honda has been involved with artificial intelligence/robotics research and released their ASIMO robot in 2000. They have also ventured into aerospace with the establishment of GE Honda Aero Engines in 2004 and the Honda HA-420 HondaJet, which began production in 2012.
Assembly Line
tozero raises €11 million to expand recycled lithium production
tozero, a Munich-based battery recycling startup, has raised €11 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round led by NordicNinja, with new investors including In-Q-Tel, Honda, and JGC Group. Existing investors Atlantic Labs, Verve Ventures, and Possible Ventures also participated in the round.
Founded in 2022 by Sarah Fleischer and Dr. Ksenija Milicevic Neumann, tozero focuses on sustainable lithium-ion battery recycling, addressing Europe’s lithium supply gap by recovering critical raw materials and reintegrating them into global supply chains. This latest funding will support tozero’s plans to build its first industrial-scale plant and scale up production of recycled lithium in Europe.
Honda Outlines Key Production Processes Behind New Line of EVs
Honda 0 Series is the automaker’s new approach to electric vehicle development, which is focusing on the theme of “thin, light and wise.” The goal of the R&D project is to minimize battery size while providing sufficient cruising range and a nimble driving experience that transcends the existing image of EVs.
Honda engineers are focusing their efforts on four core production technologies, including megacasting and friction stir welding. Megacasting involves molding large cast parts such as one-piece battery enclosures that eliminate seams. A new battery case, which traditionally consists of more than 60 parts, has been reduced to only five parts, making it possible to produce a high-quality, thin and light enclosure.
3D Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is being applied to two processes in the manufacturing of battery cases. The first is the process of joining parts made by megacasting to form the case enclosure, and the second is the process of joining the water jacket cover, which is necessary to provide the battery with cooling. The technology uses only the frictional heat between the rotating rod-shaped tool and the joint to soften and join the aluminum parts.
Reverion raises €56 million for serial production of renewable power plants
Reverion, a company building reversible, carbon-negative power plants, announced it had raised €56 million in Series A funding, including non-dilutive funding. The oversubscribed round was led by Energy Impact Partners (EIP) with participation from Honda and the European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund). Existing investors Extantia Capital, UVC Partners, Green Generation Fund, Doral Energy-Tech Ventures, and Possible Ventures also joined the round. This funding will enable Reverion to begin serial production of its power plants and meet over $100 million in customer pre-orders collected to date.
Reverion’s patented technology is paving the way to 100% renewable energy by using the full potential of biogas. Their reversible power plants overcome the limitations of conventional technologies for power generation from biogas, significantly increasing revenue for operators from the same biomass. Unlike conventional gas engines, which are inefficient and emit millions of tonnes of CO2 annually worldwide, Reverion’s fuel cell-based plants achieve up to 80% efficiency in power generation, doubling the electricity output of gas engines.
SiLC Technologies Receives Investment from Honda to Advance AI Vision Capabilities
SiLC Technologies, Inc. (SiLC), announced it has received an investment from Honda to develop next-generation FMCW LiDAR solutions for all types of mobility. SiLC is the leading developer of integrated, single-chip FMCW (Coherent) LiDAR solutions and focuses on enabling advanced AI-based machine vision. Honda invests in innovative startups through its global open innovation program, Honda Xcelerator Ventures. This program is led by Honda Innovations, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
SiLC is tackling several critical challenges in vehicle vision technology using high-performance FMCW LiDAR. Current radar and 2D/3D vision systems struggle with detecting dark objects, such as tires, at distances of a couple of hundred meters. They also have difficulty distinguishing between slow-moving and stationary vehicles for effective evasive actions. Most time-of-flight LiDARs suffer from interference caused by sunlight, retro reflectors, and other LiDAR systems. SiLC’s FMCW LiDAR overcomes these obstacles by detecting objects at distances of a kilometer or more with precise distance measurements and can measure the velocity of objects, allowing the system to predict their movements accurately.
Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi Motors sign MOU on strategic partnership
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation announced that the three companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly discuss a framework for further intelligence and electrification of automobiles based on the agreement signed by Nissan and Honda on March 15.
Nissan and Honda are working to further accelerate initiatives aimed at achieving carbon neutrality and a zero-traffic-accident society. In anticipation of collaboration in areas such as environmental technologies, electrification technologies, and software development, discussions are being conducted on a broad scope.
To accelerate this process, it is essential to create new value by integrating the technologies and knowledge cultivated by each company, and to improve business efficiencies. The participation of Mitsubishi Motors in the areas of potential collaboration considered and discussed by Nissan and Honda will not only add new knowledge and strengths but will also provide further synergies that can only be generated by the three companies, as well as new business opportunities.
Honda and IBM Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Explore Long-term Joint Research and Development of Semiconductor Chip and Software Technologies for Future Software-Defined Vehicles
IBM and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda) announced they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining their intent to collaborate on the long-term joint research and development of next-generation computing technologies needed to overcome challenges related to processing capability, power consumption, and design complexity for the realization of the software-defined vehicles (SDV) of the future.
In particular, the MOU outlines areas of potential joint research of specialized semiconductor technologies such as brain-inspired computing and chiplet technologies, with the aim to dramatically improve processing performance while, simultaneously, decreasing power consumption. Hardware and software co-optimization is important to ensure high performance and fast time to market. To achieve such benefits and manage design complexity for future SDVs, the two companies also plan to explore open and flexible software solutions.
GM-Honda Begin Commercial Production at Industry’s First Hydrogen Fuel Cell System Manufacturing Joint Venture
In a pivotal moment in the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell systems, GM and Honda today announced the start of production at their 50-50 joint venture production facility, FCSM. FCSM is the first large-scale manufacturing joint venture to build fuel cells. FCSM was established in Brownstown, Michigan, in January 2017 based on a joint investment of $85 million. The 70,000-square-foot facility has already created 80 jobs. The world-class hydrogen power solutions built at FCSM will be used by both companies in various product applications and business ventures.
INERATEC Raises $129 Million Led by Piva Capital to Usher in the Next Era of Sustainable Mobility
INERATEC, a pioneering e-Fuel company, announced it has raised over $129 million in its Series B funding round, led by Piva Capital with additional participation from HG Ventures, TDK Ventures, Copec WIND Ventures, RockCreek, Emerald, Samsung Ventures as well as the increased support from current investors, including global corporates like ENGIE New Ventures, Safran Corporate Ventures and Honda.
INERATEC’s technological advancement is a scalable patented technology that enables the production of ‘drop-in’ e-Fuels. The process involves two main steps: first, turning CO2 and hydrogen into synthesis gas, then using a second reactor to turn the synthesis gas into liquid and solid hydrocarbons. The e-Fuels are compliant with standards targeted for industries heavily relying on fossil fuels, such as aviation, shipping, road transport, and the chemical industry.
Since it was founded in 2016, INERATEC has built and operated numerous pilot plants and is engaged with over 30 customers in the respective fields of application. Additionally, the company has been recognized with several key awards, including the German Founders Award, the Next Economy Award, and the EARTO Award and was recently selected as Top Innovator by UpLink, the Innovation platform of the World Economic Forum.
Seurat Technologies Raises $99M to Deploy Local Printing Factories, Decarbonize Manufacturing
Seurat Technologies, the 3D metal printing leader that is making manufacturing better for people and the planet, today announced a $99 million Series C round led by NVentures, NVIDIA’s venture capital arm and Capricorn’s Technology Impact Fund focused on climate solutions. Seurat’s latest funding round includes participation from new investors Honda Motor and Cubit Capital, among others, as well as participation from previous investors, True Ventures, SIP Global Partners, Porsche Automobil Holding SE, Denso Global, General Motors Ventures, Maniv Mobility LP, and Xerox Ventures.
Powered by 100% green energy, Seurat is reinventing and reshoring manufacturing with its Area Printing technology developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This 3D metal printing technology delivers high-precision, high-volume, decarbonized manufacturing, which Seurat anticipates will have the potential to directly mitigate as much as 100 million tons of CO2 by 2030.
Toray and Honda Start Jointly Validating Chemical Nylon 6 Recycling for Automotive Applications
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today it signed an agreement with Honda Motor Co., Ltd., to jointly develop a chemical recycling technology for glass-fiber reinforced nylon 6 parts recovered from end-of-life vehicles. The two have begun verifying this technology, which entails depolymerizing with subcritical water (see note) and regenerating the materials as caprolactam, a raw monomer.
Helm.ai Announces $55 Million Series C Funding for its AI Software
Helm.ai, a provider of next-generation AI software for autonomous driving and automation of robotics, today announced it raised $55 million in its Series C financing. The round was led by Freeman Group and also includes investments from venture capital firms ACVC Partners and Amplo as well as strategic investments from Honda Motor, Goodyear Ventures, and Sungwoo Hitech. This financing brings the total amount raised by Helm.ai to $102M. Helm.ai will use the funds for R&D, productization of its self-driving technologies, and to further execute on commercial engagements with customers and partners in the automotive and robotics sectors.
Yorii Automobile Plant, Saitama Factory, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Missing Chips Snarl Car Production at Factories Worldwide
Semiconductor shortages may persist throughout the first half as chipmakers adjust their operations, researcher IHS Market predicted on Dec. 23. Automakers will start to see component supply gradually ease in the next two to three months, China Passenger Car Association, which groups the country’s largest carmakers, said Monday.
Chipmakers favor consumer-electronics customers because their orders are larger than those of automakers – the annual smartphone market alone is more than 1 billion devices, compared with fewer than 100 million cars. Automaking is also a lower-margin business, leaving manufacturers unwilling to bid up chip prices as they avoid risking their profitability.