Honda to Begin Demonstration Tests of Next-Generation Personal Mobility before the End of the Year in Japan

TOKYO - 20 July, 2010: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced plans to begin real-world demonstration testing before the end of this year of next-generation electric personal mobility products, including electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, electric scooters and electric carts. The demonstration program will be conducted jointly with Kumamoto and Saitama prefectures in Japan.

In a comprehensive approach unique to Honda to be conducted in collaboration with the two municipalities, Honda's electromotive technologies for motorcycles, automobiles and power products, together with information and communication technologies, a solar-powered energy station and other technologies will be utilized under the real-world urban transportation environment to address the following two agendas: 1. Verification of the effectiveness of next-generation personal mobility products with electromotive technologies, specifically electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, electric scooters and electric carts, along with utilization of sustainable energy such as solar power for the realization of a low-carbon society in the future. 2. Study of how future personal mobility and the urban transportation system should be designed to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life (QOL) of local residents.

By partnering with Kumamoto and Saitama prefectures, where Honda operations including manufacturing plants are located and collaborative relationships already exist in various areas, Honda will strive to effectively conduct verification testing and make further contributions to both communities.

Honda is planning to conduct this demonstration first in Japan and then in regions outside Japan such as the U.S., mostly in the area of automobiles. In the U.S., starting by the end of this year, Honda will begin demonstration testing of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles with participants including Stanford University, Google Inc. and the City of Torrance, California under the Advanced Technology Demonstration Program.