The Honda 0 Series Saloon Concept sits on display at the Honda R&D centre global plaza in Tochigi, Japan. The 0 Series Zero represents the company’s commitment to zero environmental impact and zero traffic fatalities involving Honda vehicles by 2050.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
The Prologue SUV helped Honda enter the North American market with its first electric vehicle. Built on General Motors’ Ultium platform, it bought valuable time for Honda to develop its own EV creation – something that would be more indicative of the company’s engineering and brand values. The new 0 Series – pronounced Zero – scheduled for production in 2026, is what they’ve been working on.
The 0 is more than just a new vehicle for the company; it heralds the brand’s future. Zero comes from the company’s commitment to zero environmental impact and zero traffic fatalities involving Honda vehicles by 2050. The company plans to sell only battery and fuel-cell electric vehicles by 2040, and the 0 Series will comprise a chain of seven new EVs, which the company says it will introduce globally by 2030.
The first car will resemble the exotic-looking saloon concept shown at the CES trade show in January and will be built in Ohio. Using the company’s new “thin, light and wise” approach, Honda says it will develop lighter, more efficient and fun-to-drive EVs. Rather than piggybacking on existing models, these EVs will be entirely new and separate from anything Honda currently produces.
Above: The concept vehicle's gullwing doors open to access the front and back rows of seating. Below: The vehicle's compact power unit can be positioned lower and pushed further forward in the chassis, ensuring a low centre of gravity.
Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
If the approach of a distinct EV lineup sounds familiar, it’s because it is. The EQ line of electric vehicles released by Mercedes hasn’t been a roaring success, and Honda knows this. The company, which has been criticized for dragging its heels, has had the luxury of watching other automakers accelerate or stall, and says it has confidence in its new platform.
It starts with a more compact lithium-ion battery pack, the “thin” part of the new slogan. There have been innovative measures for reducing the height of the pack, meaning it can be placed lower on the frame and takes up less room relative to the size of the vehicle. Honda has used this to its advantage, lowering the vehicle’s height and centre of gravity.
The battery pack will incorporate newer production techniques and technologies like friction stir welding. The process robotically welds the cooling jacket onto the battery pack’s aluminum case. It allows for a 6-per-cent thinner battery than what’s currently used in the industry. The battery case also uses fewer components and is stamped out with a new mega-casting machine undergoing testing at the research-and-development facility in Tochigi, Japan, about 100 kilometres north of Tokyo. The new machine will eventually be installed at the Anna plant in Ohio, where production is scheduled to take place.
Honda’s new thinner battery pack can be placed lower on the frame and takes up less room relative to the size of the vehicle.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
Honda has also developed an electric powertrain that is smaller and more efficient, called an e-axle. It incorporates the motor, power electronics and gearbox in a compact package that can be placed lower in the vehicle. It allows for shorter front overhangs and a lower hood, which benefits aerodynamics and pedestrian safety.
The pulse inverter uses silicon-carbide semi-conductor technology and is 40-per-cent smaller than competitors. It sits on the side of the motor using what Honda says is the world’s first transverse configuration packaging. Honda showed us two sizes: The larger one is rated at 180 kilowatts (241 horsepower) and the smaller at 50 kilowatts (67 horsepower). Depending on the application, these motors can be used individually or in a dual setup.
Honda’s e-axle power unit contains an electric motor, inverter and gearbox in one compact package.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
The new battery pack and power unit will sit in a lighter frame, made possible using innovative new welding technology developed by Honda. The structure itself can flex naturally, leading to an improved driving experience. This lets Honda achieve the low-slung space-ship-like shape of the saloon concept. Its dramatically low roofline hides a spacious cabin that can seat four adults. (While we don’t expect the gullwing doors or the cabin from Tron to make it to production, Honda says the real car, which has yet to be shown, will look very similar to the concept.)
We got a rare opportunity to get behind the wheel of the new EV, but what we were driving looked like a Honda CR-V. There was an Accord version, too, but a tight schedule meant we could only drive one. It didn’t really matter because both were just a body on top of a prototype of the new EV. Odd bulges and fender extensions made it obvious these weren’t ordinary vehicles. The testers weren’t equipped with steer-by-wire, which the production version will have, but the e-axle motors and thinner batteries were on board.
We were given about 10 minutes or three laps on a makeshift course that consisted of twisty sections and a couple of longer straights, where we could accelerate up to about 80 kilometres an hour. The interior was essentially a hack job with a small digital gauge cluster and what looked like a data collection unit propped in the centre. It drove like a typical dual-motor EV: smooth and quiet with abundant torque. Handling was fine, but this wasn’t really about driving performance. It was a proof-of-concept test for the battery and motors. In that context, it was a success because the prototypes did what they were supposed to and didn’t fail.
Honda was also keen to show us its new intelligent user interface that will take what we think of as infotainment to a new level. This is part of its “wise” strategy, and with the help of artificial intelligence and a variety of cameras, lidar and radar sensors, it can anticipate the driver or passenger needs inside and outside the car, and offer personalized suggestions like driving breaks or route suggestions. It can also anticipate your mood and pick up on daily routines. The company says all of this can reduce driving anxiety and daily stressors.
The Honda Accord body, above, and CR-V body, below, mounted on a prototype of the new EV.
Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
It will also incorporate advanced self-driving functions, such as hands-free and eyes-free Level 3 autonomous driving where allowed.
Mitsuru Kariya, the vice-president in charge of the research-and-development unit at Honda, told us at a round table meeting in Tochigi that the yet-to-be-named 0 Series sedan will be a premium product. He added, “We will introduce a larger range of models in different categories, although we cannot tell you specifically about them.”
While an affordable EV still seems like a far-fetched idea here in North America, the proposed 0 Series lineup includes a couple of smaller SUVs and a compact sedan. Whether or not they end up in our market is anyone’s guess, but Honda’s new EV production philosophy, as symbolized in the saloon concept car, sure looks promising.
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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