Honda is legendary for many things, but two stand out: an engineering-led corporate culture and the staggering range of products the company manufactures. Sure, Honda makes Civics and Accords. And motorcycles. And scooters. And home backup generators. And lawn mowers — oh my, the lawn mowers, regarded in suburbia as some of the best of the best. ATVs? Yep. Boat motors? Check. Also jet aircraft. And when winter hits and the blizzards come? Honda’s got you with snowblowers.
This being the third decade of the 21st century, Honda would naturally be hybridizing its snowblower engines in the same way it has hybridized its supercars. Say hello to the HSS960i, the latest arrival, rolled out last week just in time for spring to shift to summer. Hey, no harm in being prepared! Winter is eventually coming. For now, it appears as though the HSS960i is a Japan-only offering, and it will sell for the equivalent of $4,425, according to Automotive News.
Just buy the Honda
A homeowner exposed to a four-season climate can make themselves crazy trying to decide what brand of maintenance machinery to invest in. Or they can stay blissfully sane and just buy the Honda version of everything. The HSS960i has a one-stroke, 0.27-liter, single-cylinder engine, paired with an electric motor that powers the tracked wheels. More importantly, it can heave snow about 40 yards, the length of almost half a football field. This is all going to be more than adequate to clear your driveway when Christmas turns white.
Honda also rolled out a slightly more powerful sibling, the HSS1370i, also Japan-only. In the U.S., it looks like you can get the HSM1336i if you’re hybrid-curious, but at $9,000 it’s a bit steep, and it was designed to clear small parking lots and the like. Still, you’ll be the envy of your cul-de-sac.
Funny story: a fellow journalist once went to a Honda media event at which a gaggle of high-level executives were showcasing a bunch of new hardware, including a lawn mower. When it embarrassingly refused to start, the exec in charge paused the presentation, studied the mower for a few minutes, then made a minor adjustment. It fired right up. That’s Honda: the suits know their stuff so well that they can serve as on-the-fly mechanics. Just buy what they make, without remorse.
Carbon neutral by 2050
Honda wants to be carbon neutral by 2050, as Automotive News points out. When you make gas-powered everything, increasing the hybrid options certainly makes sense as a means of achieving that goal. (Although the company said that the hybrid snowblowers have been developed to provide better wheel traction in slippery or icy conditions.)
As a homeowner who is fully electric (mower, weed whacker, leaf blower, etc.), I can appreciate one thing about Honda’s approach: it’s very nice to have combustion power when dealing with anything heavy-duty. When my grass gets thick, my electric mower has issues. So I borrow… my neighbor’s Honda! I can power my house with my electric car’s battery, but as we head into hurricane season this year, I’m thinking about getting a… Honda generator! Just like everybody else on my block. I haven’t previously needed a snowblower. But, if I ever do, it’s Honda all the way. And a hybrid would be a fantastic extra, if the company decides to share its cheaper models with America.
