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BIZ BRIEF: Honda to build new test course, solar power system

12/08/2013

Honda Motor Co. on Aug. 8 announced plans to build a new test course and solar power system near the city of Sakura in Tochigi Prefecture.

3db21207e_download_1.jpgHonda Motor Co. on Aug. 8 announced plans to build a new test course and solar power system near the city of Sakura in Tochigi Prefecture.

The carmaker in 2007 initially planned to build a large-scale test course featuring a high-speed circuit with a 4-kilometer long track but postponed the plan due to the global economic recession that hit a year later.

Honda cited changes in the business environment surrounding the automobile industry and market needs in making the decision to modify the planned facility. It said it will utilize the new course, about 25 hectares in size, for the development of advanced safety technologies.

Honda said the new solar power generation system will feature 70,000 solar panels on the site, capable of producing up to 10 megawatts of electricity annually. The company plans to begin sales of electricity in 2015.

The automaker said it also has other environmentally friendly plans for the facility that are part of its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and promote the use of renewable energies.