For years, Honda has relied on hybrids — not so much EVs — to drive its electrified mission. All of that is about to change with the Honda 0 Series, a portfolio of new electric vehicles that will go into production over the next several years.
Honda has been teasing the Series 0 EVs since at least last year with the Saloon and the Space-Hub concepts that were revealed at CES. Now, the automaker is preparing to showcase new features and technology at CES 2025 that’s meant to preview a future production model.
The Japanese automaker recently provided TechCrunch with a sneak peek of its fresh start (which is what that numeral 0 is meant to symbolize), and while some of the features in this new slate of EVs are not fully baked, it’s clear Honda is taking a big and costly swing at battery electric vehicles. In the U.S. alone, the automaker is investing $700 million to retool three of its Ohio factories for EVs, the first of which is slated to go into production in late 2025.
During a recent visit to company headquarters in Tochigi, Japan, the automaker told me its aim is to do something new. Honda doesn’t want to turn its popular ICE cars into EVs, but instead wants to revolutionize how vehicles, and more specifically EVs, are designed. And it has adopted a mantra of ‘thin, light and wise” to achieve it.
The stakes are high for Honda, a company known for its affordable and reliable cars. The Honda 0 Series EV will have to appeal to its loyal customers, while attracting new ones — all while standing out from the growing number of competitors.
Seven Honda 0 Series models by 2030
Honda plans to release seven Honda 0 Series models by 2030 globally. Honda is aiming for 300 miles of range and it seems like the company will provide just enough kWh to reach that number regardless of vehicle. In other words, Honda has no interest in providing mega-range at the expense of a heavier battery.
The company said it’s targeting a charging speed of 15% to 80% in 10 or 15 minutes and wants to keep battery degradation below 10% after 10 years. Further, it hopes to have some kind of Vehicle-to-X capability, meaning it will be able to communicate with other devices or infrastructure, but Honda wouldn’t give specifics. It could power your house, or maybe another vehicle – possibly both.
When pressed for pricing, the company wouldn’t commit even to a price range. While the flagship Saloon will likely be pricey, the rest of the Honda 0 Series cars will probably debut in the low- to mid-$50,000 range.
The tech inside the Honda 0 Series EV
While Honda’s “thin, light and wise” sounds like marketing, the words do tie directly back to the design and the technology inside these future EVs.
Thin refers to the new EV platform, which has a low ride height and excellent aerodynamics, both of which feed directly into the fun-to-drive idea of “light.”
The Honda 0 Series cars will be spacious and feature a newly developed chassis that works with physics instead of against it to provide more stability in the corners. Honda hopes to accomplish the thin and light elements through improvements in the manufacturing process and design.
Honda says the “wise” component means its future EVs will be capable of Level 3 automated driving, which means users will be able to drive it without their eyes on the road or hands on the wheel for extended periods of time. It will also feature by-wire capabilities in the steering, suspension, and brakes, meaning no physical connection between the physical inputs (like steering wheel and brake pedal) and the actual mechanical components in the car; the computer will translate all the driver’s actions to the car. A smart UX system will be able to monitor the driver’s mood, open doors, and even send passengers into a VR-generated world, Honda claims. Honda says it will continuously improve its UX features with OTA updates.
While most of the UX “wise” technology Honda showed us was very much in the prototype stage, the “thin” and “light” factory tech looked to be the most developed. A warehouse-sized mega-split casting machine that applies 6,000 tons of pressure to molten aluminum spits out battery case parts for the new thin battery developed with LG, while a robot welds both thin and thick metal at the same time for a stronger, lighter frame.
The Honda 0 Series frame might be stronger, but it actually has some flex to it. That may sound a little counter-intuitive– after all, the chassis is the backbone of any vehicle and every year manufacturers boast that their chassis is x-percent more rigid than last year. Not Honda. The company says it has found a way to use body flex to its advantage, increasing loads to the outside tires for better grip during cornering while at the same time reducing weight.
Honda has partnered with Hitachi to produce a new eAxle. This electric motor has a smaller inverter and can be installed horizontally, again allowing for more interior space as well as a lower hood and shorter overhangs than competitors. A larger eAxle has about 240 horsepower 180 and a smaller one is good for about 67 ponies.
Test drive of an early representation: Pretty good
I got a short drive on Honda’s test track to sample some of these new components. What looked like an Accord was actually equipped with the flexing frame, thin battery and an eAxle in the front and rear. However, the planned steer-by-wire tech was not installed and the suspension hadn’t really been tuned for this Accord body.
Nevertheless, it’s an actual early representation of what to expect and I can say it’s…good?
It was a very quick drive with very subtle changes and no current Honda EV vehicle on hand for comparison.
Power delivery was quick and if the chassis was flexing, I didn’t notice it. I felt confident in the turns but I’ve never been in a Honda that didn’t feel stable in the corners. The car felt a little wobbly over some pavement undulations but again, the suspension was not calibrated at all. At this point all I can say is that the car felt fine and I look forward to driving the fully-baked version.
The UX “wise” features are what will likely make or break the Honda 0 Series and most of the items presented on this trip were still in the development phase. The company showed us a video of a car recognizing who was approaching and opening the appropriate doors. We also saw videos about the planned Level 3 autonomy that will work on unfamiliar roads and in changing environments. A 3D gyroscope will help predict instabilities on slippery pavement and make minute changes in the by-wire technology to keep the car running smoothly. Again, none of these features were actually demonstrated, just shown on video.
However, Honda did have a prototype interior set up that could recognize driver stress and play soothing music. It remembered an old passenger and his preferred settings and even knew there was a dog in the car that might need a water or bathroom break. At least, it knew there was a toy dog in the car. Presumably it would recognize a real dog as well.
The most well-developed “wise” tech was a just-for-fun VR feature. I put on a VR headset and was transported from Honda HQ in Tochigi to a car in downtown Yokohama with two Honda engineers. I had a 360-degree view that worked reasonably well in real time and I could talk to my new friends and request the latest Taylor Swift song. My view had a smaller icon with navigation, music or speed information that I could change with a laser pointer-type unit. This laser pointer would also “heart” different objects around me. I gave hearts to the ferris wheel, a guy riding a scooter, and what I think was the Cup of Noodles Museum. It was great fun.
In all, Honda looks to be on the verge of some pretty cool tech, assuming it all comes to fruition. Everything we saw in Japan should debut on the next Honda 0 Series concept car at CES in 2025. Further, the company has also confirmed that in 2026 it will release a production version of the Saloon concept we saw at CES 2024 that will be “fairly close” to the futuristic concept car.
