Honda is making its first major strides toward electric vehicles.
Since the beginning of the year, automobile manufacturer Honda has been quietly cultivating plans to take their first real stab at the all-electric vehicle market, simultaneously looking to make good on their previous promises of becoming 100% carbon neutral and to do battle with the likes of Tesla for dominance over the relatively young business sector. Back in April, it was announced that Honda had teamed up with General Motors to make this first car happen, but they’ve been mum ever since. At least, until now.
Today, Honda officially announced the name of their first true EV: Prologue. The name is fitting, as this vehicle will be the prologue to Honda’s efforts to take on the EV market. Also, in an amusing bit of self-reference, the name is synonymous with “Prelude,” the name of Honda’s first sports coupe released back in the 80s.
“With the Prologue, our goal is to provide a highly competitive product with the functionality to meet the diverse needs of our customers,” Honda of America sales chief Dave Gardner told reporters last week.
Honda's first electric SUV will be called the Prologue https://t.co/RcR8cW8T6H pic.twitter.com/abAQ5Fc2Rn
— Engadget (@engadget) June 28, 2021
The Prologue is one of two EVs being developed jointly between Honda and GM, though the second one will be for Acura instead of either of them. Details about the Prologue are, obviously, still very limited, though reports claim that the primary power source for the vehicle will be GM’s proprietary Ultium battery pack. The car is slated to release in 2024, and is the first step in Honda’s long-touted long-term goal of reaching 100% carbon neutrality by the year 2040.
Gardner recently acknowledged that Honda is somewhat behind in the race toward truly efficient electric vehicles, but also clarified that the company is far from starting from zero on this endeavor. “While we haven’t been perceived as leaders in recent years, we’re not neophytes in the electrified space,” he said.
