Honda Charts Its EV Future With “0” ConceptsHonda Charts Its EV Future With “0” Concepts

A maximum minivan and sleek sedan showcase Honda’s EV plans beyond its partnership with General Motors.

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

January 11, 2024

2 Min Read
Honda Saloon concept
Honda Saloon conceptHonda

Honda unveiled a pair of electric concept cars at CES 2024 in Las Vegas that illustrate the company’s plans to move forward with its own electrification technology using LG Energy Solutions-supplied batteries after the current partnership to use General Motors’ Ultium EV components.

The Space-Hub minivan is like an open-floorplan mid-century modern home on wheels, while the Saloon is a flagship luxury sedan. Together, they point the way for Honda’s upcoming 0 Series production EVs that will debut in 2026.

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Honda says that the zero is indicative of the cars’ position at the beginning of the company’s in-house EV product family, representing “a new approach to the development of electrified vehicles, outlined by three core principles: Thin, Light, and Wise.”

These characteristics are the opposite of most EVs, according to Honda. The Zero models will reflect these principles in key areas such as the use of a dedicated “thin” EV platform that creates a low floor for aerodynamic performance and software-defined mobility products for a “wiser” intelligent user experience, the company said.

Some of that promised wisdom will come from a new in-house Honda operating system and software that relies on artificial and driver data to provide information about the surrounding areas, offer additional route guidance for the “last mile” to the destination, and to help users after they arrive and leave their vehicle.

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A planned next-generation automated driving (AD) system will feature advanced AI, sensing, recognition, and driver monitoring technologies to achieve more human-like, natural and high-precision risk predictions, making it possible to offer AD features people can feel safe and confident using, Honda claims. This advanced AD system will expand the application of some hands-off functions for use on both expressways and surface streets.  

Additionally, Honda promises that the 0-Series will introduce advancements in performance and battery efficiency. Improved battery system control technology will reduce the degradation of the 0-Series EVs’ battery capacity to less than 10 percent after 10 years of use.

The cars’ e-axles will deliver high power and efficiency in a lightweight package, while Honda says it will rationalize battery size with a high-density battery pack that provides a suitable range with minimal battery size. That would be in keeping with Honda’s longstanding “man maximum/machine minimum” manta and the company’s one-time advertising slogan, “We make it simple.”

“We have gone back to basics and formulated the Honda 0 Series with a design for the new era,” said Shinji Aoyama, Global EVP of Honda. “A bold and pure proportion that from the first glance is overwhelmingly different from other EVs to evoke a new perspective for people.”

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

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He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

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