We had been one of many first to check drive Honda’s 0 Sequence EV platform

Earlier than Honda pulls the sheet off a brand new EV mannequin in its new 0 Sequence lineup in 2025, it invited us out to Japan to take a peak behind the scenes at its international R&D heart, manufacturing amenities, and another cool spots to share perception on the expertise it’s seeking to implement in future 0 fashions. We additionally had been one of many first on the earth to check drive Honda’s new 0 Sequence EV structure.

Honda’s 0 Sequence is starting to take form

As you’ll be taught beneath, there may be nonetheless quite a bit we don’t know in regards to the expertise we’ll see in Honda’s future all-electric 0 Sequence lineup. Nevertheless, what we’ve discovered is encouraging and thrilling from a Japanese automaker that has been a bit late to the BEV celebration.

Honda unveiled plans for its new 0 Sequence in Las Vegas throughout CES 2024, the place it unveiled two preliminary idea vehicles it stated would function precursors to manufacturing fashions for the worldwide market. That unveiling included the “House Hub” being developed below the thought of “augmenting individuals’s every day lives,” and the “Saloon” (seen above and beneath” it describes as its flagship idea to its 0 Sequence design language.

At the moment, we discovered Honda’s first passenger EV, the 0 Sequence, shall be based mostly on the Saloon idea and is predicted to hit the North American market in 2026. We’re not sure precisely how the manufacturing mannequin will differ from the radical and sleek-looking Saloon. Nonetheless, after spending per week in Japan with Honda, we’ve a greater thought of what kind of expertise and manufacturing methods the revolutionary OEM is seeking to implement.

A lot of it’s encouraging, and a few of it’s downright spectacular, however many questions stay about which of the applied sciences launched to the media will make their method into 0 Sequence EVs and when. Nonetheless, there’s quite a lot of cool stuff to unpack right here, so let’s dig in.

Honda launched a slew of latest EV tech within the works

To raised perceive the expertise that went into Honda’s nascent lineup of BEV fashions in growth, the corporate invited a number of media from all over the world, together with Electrek, to a Honda 0 Tech Assembly, held at its World Plaza in Tochigi, Japan, about 140 km north of Tokyo.

Throughout the assembly, we noticed a presentation led by Honda Motor Co. director, president, and CEO Toshihiro Mibe and Toshihiro Akiwa, the vice chairman and head of BEV growth. Right here, the Honda executives broke down a number of new concepts generated for the 0 collection, a reputation that represents a recent begin and a brand new technology of automobiles for the all-electric period.

Design and growth are centered round three core beliefs – “Skinny, mild, and clever,” that are on the heart of Honda’s new devoted EV platform that can assist it ship skinny and low-weight styling as we noticed within the Saloon idea.

The brand new (yet-to-be-named) platform has adopted 2.0 GPa grade sizzling stamping metal materials, created utilizing new megacasting machines you possibly can see extra of beneath. The BEV-specific structure enabled Honda to develop thinner battery packs utilizing some actually attention-grabbing friction welding to permit for optimum effectivity and thus vary.

Honda just isn’t attempting to blow individuals away with its vary, however as an alternative has tried to maximise area and keep light-weight and effectivity to assist preserve manufacturing prices down and ship new fashions which might be extra reasonably priced. Moreover, the automaker shared it’s concentrating on EPA vary of round 300 miles.

New applied sciences like a warmth pump and Honda’s new “e-Axle” motors and inverters have advanced from its hybrid EV developmen however have been downsized to attain a horizontal format to maximise cabin area and permit for decrease proper heights.

After our presentation and Q&A with Honda’s executives, we bought an opportunity to stroll by way of and expertise skilled explanations and demonstrations from the Honda BEV group. These included a number of new applied sciences that Honda will implement or a minimum of attempt to implement in future fashions.

This included a have a look at the 0 platform’s new steering stability index that may flex the automobile physique in actual time to manage every tire’s load whereas cornering. This physique rigidity design additionally allowed Honda to cut back the automobile’s total weight by 100kg (220 lbs) in comparison with earlier EV fashions like the Prologue.

We additionally bought a have a look at Honda’s ECU placement in addition to a glimpse at the way it intends to implement sensor expertise like LiDAR into 0 Sequence ADAS that it says will goal to supply “experiences that make individuals need to exit extra spontaneously” and can ultimately permit for fingers off, eyes off Degree 3 automated driving. Per Honda:

Honda 0 Sequence fashions shall be outfitted with a system that allows the growth of the vary of driving situations the place driver help and Degree 3 automated driving (eyes off) shall be accessible. The growth will begin with eyes-off expertise accessible in site visitors congestion on highways, then proceed by way of the OTA updates of the features.

Different UX demos we noticed had been issues like AI-integration and facial recognition software program that would allow future Honda 0 automobiles to acknowledge an proprietor strolling up and open the door for them. Higher nonetheless, this expertise can acknowledge if you’re carrying a baby and can open a rear door, or if they’re in a stroller, additionally open the trunk for stowage.

Contained in the cabin, Honda’s in-house OS can acknowledge the driving force and their passengers, and might even distinguish if a pet is within the automotive and counsel that it could be time for them to cease for a potty break. Lastly, we bought to demo an attention-grabbing social characteristic Honda is exploring by which a driver can loop their pal into the automotive experience whereas they’re at house through VR headset.

Try the video we captured beneath. We had been related stay to another Honda staff in one other a part of Japan and rode together with them. We had been capable of talk and request songs, and even get up and get a view from exterior the automotive because it moved.

Numerous these applied sciences had been cool to see, however other than the powertrain and battery expertise, Honda wouldn’t give any kind of affirmation or timeline as to when they’ll really be carried out in a manufacturing mannequin. Clearly they’re nonetheless working quite a lot of expertise out, and that’s fantastic, as we gained’t see the primary Honda 0 EV (based mostly on the Saloon) till 2026, however six extra BEV fashions are anticipated to reach by 2030.

Since we’ve but to see a bonafide Honda 0 Sequence manufacturing mannequin emerge, we couldn’t drive one. Nevertheless, the automaker did provide a chance to check out the brand new 0 structure put in beneath a few of its present fashions.

Take a look at driving Honda’s new 0 Sequence structure

It wasn’t a Saloon, nevertheless it was one thing. From Tochigi, Honda organized a chance for Electrek to be one of many first to really drive its new 0 platform, offering media with two all-electric prototypes to check out.

They might appear to be a standard CR-V and Accord from the photographs beneath, however these distinctive builds are 100% electrical, and have the e-Axle and thinner battery expertise talked about above. Because of time contraints, we had been solely capable of drive one to the opposite prototype, and solely had a couple of minutes with it. I selected the sedan considering it was decrease and extra related in design to the Saloon idea, and bought to do three leaps round Honda’s native take a look at observe.

My first impression is that it drives like an EV. The response is fast, acceleration is easy however not mind-boggling, and the dealing with was fairly comfy, even at excessive speeds. Forgive me for my lack of actual element, nevertheless it’s laborious to critique structure alone, particularly when driving in a automobile physique that was not particularly designed for the 0 structure.

Due to this, the prototypes nonetheless had mechanical steering versus steer-by-wire deliberate for the manufacturing mannequin 0 BEVs, so I wasn’t capable of get the complete expertise of Hond’s subsequent technology of automobiles, nevertheless it nonetheless was a pleasure to check out.

Honda additionally had a static Honda e BEV it was utilizing as a UX idea. This was cool as a result of prospects might sometime be capable of select completely different engine noises from famend fashions just like the RSX or Civic Kind-R to flood their BEV cabin with revving sounds. There’s additionally an possibility to decide on Honda Jet noises. Have a hear:

Like many of the tech we noticed in Tochigi, Honda couldn’t verify or deny if and when this UX characteristic could be accessible to prospects. Nevertheless, it’s a superb thought for many who need to go electrical however nonetheless love the roar of a Honda engine, particularly because the sound just isn’t projected exterior the automobile for the remainder of us to listen to.

From what I might collect, Honda’s structure is heading in the right direction. Nonetheless, I left the 2024 Tech Assembly with extra questions than solutions about what applied sciences shall be carried out sooner or later. Nonetheless, the journey had loads of different highlights, together with a have a look at Honda’s new manufacturing methods, which admittedly blew me away.

Different highlights from the Honda Tech Assembly 2024

For my part, one of the attention-grabbing facets of our tour round Honda’s amenities was a have a look at its pilot manufacturing strains the place future 0 BEVs shall be in-built Japan. This included an indication of Honda’s new 6,000-ton megacasting machine – six of which is able to go into operation at Honda’s US manufacturing facility in Ohio.

Honda shared that it was capable of cut back the variety of elements in its Clever Energy Unit (IPU) from 60 to five utilizing megacasting, and has taken an method to make the most of a devoted case piece to a typical half utilizing really wonderful friction welding that can allow Honda to extra effectively construct modular EV IPUs to suite plenty of physique sizes.

One other demonstration I discovered fairly attention-grabbing was the world’s first software of Honda’s proprietary Fixed DC Chopping (CDC) welding expertise. The approach maximizes warmth distribution to a weld, decreasing automobile weight whereas rising passive security efficiency. Right here’s it in motion. Discover how there are not any sparks?

Electrek’s take

All in all, Honda is certainly making a aware effort to compete within the BEV market with its upcoming 0 Sequence. I noticed quite a lot of innovation, significantly inside its pilot manufacturing strains, however there was a sense of secrecy as Honda remains to be retaining a lot of its hand near its chest.

We media have heard quite a lot of phrases like “sometime” and “sooner or later,” however there are not any clear timelines for when and if among the launched expertise will make its method into manufacturing fashions. Maybe it was a tad too early for a Tech Day, nevertheless it was an informative and thrilling expertise nonetheless.

A lot of the tech Honda launched has already been carried out into BEVs at present available on the market, nevertheless it’s fairly clear that the Japanese automaker is seeking to optimize and grasp these components to face out. I see a real alternative right here for Honda to really embrace BEVs and change into the chief within the area throughout all Japanese automakers.

The Saloon idea is way bigger and roomier up shut, and its total design is in contrast to the rest on the street proper now. It is going to be thrilling to see how shut a manufacturing 0 Sequence model involves that preliminary design, however at this level, we nonetheless don’t know.

One factor we did be taught, is that Honda is planning to unveil a second 0 collection manufacturing mannequin this January at CES 2025. Based on the automaker, this new BEV mannequin “would be the embodiment in product type of the applied sciences and electrification idea launched in the course of the 0 Tech Assembly 2024.”

I used to be desirous about skipping CES this yr, however now I need to see what Honda unveils subsequent. We’ll make sure you report again at the moment.