Traditionally, an automaker would simply install a splash guard over the section of exhaust at risk. But Honda alleges that such a shield is too heavy and that “in order to suppress natural disasters,” the cost and weight of such a shield should be done away with.
It’s a little melodramatic on Honda’s part, but lightness has long been one of the easiest ways to improve efficiency. Some lightweight automakers, like Donkervoort, even go so far as to say building lightweight gasoline cars is more efficient than building heavy EVs.
Honda is, of course, investing in the latter, too, and is planning two new EVs with an imminent reveal. But perhaps, if it can string together enough incremental weight savings and efficiency gains through innovative aerodynamic developments, it may help combustion cars live a little longer.