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BREAKING
Iranian MP Alireza Salimi: The Shura Council has approved a resolution to suspend Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Political aide to the governor of Gilan Province in northern Iran: Air defenses in Rasht shot down a small hostile drone flying over the city
Israeli media: The presence of General Qaani at the “victory celebrations” in Tehran puts an end to the rumors and earlier reports claiming he had been assassinated
Israeli media: There is division within the US administration itself over the extent of what the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities actually achieved
Israeli media: US intelligence also says Iran’s centrifuges remained largely intact
Israeli media: Netanyahu and Trump celebrated too soon, as US intelligence says Iran’s uranium stockpile was not damaged
Israeli Channel 13: The objectives set by Netanyahu for the operation against Iran have not been achieved
Early US intel assessment suggests strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites, CNN reports, citing sources
Israeli media platform: An additional soldier has been confirmed killed in the serious incident in Gaza, who had previously been considered "missing" for some time
Pezeshkian: History will not forget how Iran’s enemies broke their pledges and agreements, resorting to aggression and invasion even during negotiations

Honda Spends $45 Billion on Flying Cars

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: The Verge
  • 30 Sep 2021 17:01
2 Min Read

The automobile manufacturer is heavily leaning into the future of tech.

  • x
  • For Honda, the future starts now
    For Honda, the future starts now

Honda has vowed to spend $45 billion on research and development over the next six years. What for you may ask?

A small dream of the future,  known as electrical vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), i.e. flying cars.

Additionally, the automaking giant will also be distributing parts of this large budget towards developing rockets and robots.

However, Honda did not specify if it plans on pursuing those projects as commercial businesses, given that it sees these three departments as an extension of its essential business of manufacturing automobiles. Most importantly, the company wants to see if it could produce working prototypes before jumping to the next phase.

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Marcos Frommer, head of corporate communications for Honda, explained that the company is “pursuing these new areas as an expansion of our core business as a mobility company.”

Interestingly, Honda said it is viewing the eVTOL aircraft could become part of urban taxi service by building a hybrid solution that would accommodate the wide range required by the customers: Instead of building pure battery-electric aircraft - which would have a maximum range of tens of kilometers -, they intend to use gas turbines to supplement their electric motor. This would allow the vehicle to achieve a range of 400 km, thus enabling more commercially viable trips.

Whether or not Honda will pursue a commercial air taxi service before 2025 remains to be seen, as it aims of obtaining regulatory certification in order to launch a new service by 2030.

Given Honda’s pioneering track record in the field of robotics, having created Asimo, one of the first robots to walk on two legs. 

With the recent shift in the auto industry and the phasing out of gas-powered vehicles in favor of electric ones, internal combustion engine vehicles will not be around for much longer. In fact, Honda has vowed to stop selling similar vehicles by 2040.

Honda’s ambitious project is costly and largely risky, yet it could be the next step to redefine the future.

  • automobiles
  • Honda
  • technology
  • eVTOL

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