A few years ago, the auto industry set off a frenzy to accelerate the introduction of electric cars, firmly believing that the transformation of the industry was imminent.
Against this backdrop, many Japanese carmakers, including Honda, have been slow to respond and rely instead on their accumulated advantages in hybrid vehicles.
However, as the electric car boom dies down and forecasts and timetables are adjusted, Honda’s seemingly uncompetitive position is now likely to turn into an advantageous resource.
Although the exact timetable for full electrification is not yet clear, its inevitable trend is beyond doubt.
To get involved in this emerging field, Honda has partnered with GM to launch two electric vehicles: the 2024 Honda Prologue and the Acura ZDX SUV.
Although the two models are designed by Honda, they are based on GM’s Ultium platform and are produced by GM.
At the same time, Honda’s team of engineers is working on developing its own electric vehicle architecture, and the preliminary results are beginning to show.
The debut of the car and the Space-Hub concept car marks the birth of the Honda 0 series.
Among them, the car will go into production in Ohio in 2026, and as the first of seven models planned to be launched by 2030, the flagship model has also attracted a lot of attention.
Does a disadvantage become an advantage? Honda Motor Co., Ltd. recently indicated that it is willing to adjust its electrification strategic planning in the face of likely continued weak demand for pure electric vehicles, suggesting that the Japanese carmaker may follow the example of its international counterparts.
revise the electric vehicle target.
Minhong told investors at Honda Technology Day last week: “if there are unforeseen changes in market conditions, we have sufficient flexibility to adjust the timing of the construction of global electric vehicle plants and change the strategic direction in a timely manner.
” He further pointed out that this may involve delaying the construction of some battery production lines.
At present, consumer enthusiasm for electric vehicles is waning around the world due to high prices, inadequate charging infrastructure and battery life anxiety, leading several automakers to scale back their electric vehicle development plans.
Volvo, for example, has abandoned its goal of selling only pure electric cars by the end of the century, while Toyota has delayed the launch of its first US-made electric car to 2026.
Although Honda has set a goal of selling only electric vehicles by 2040, Minhong has temporarily maintained that goal, attributing the current stagnation in electric vehicle sales to “short-term market headwinds”.
Honda sold about 13000 electric vehicles in the first half of this year, accounting for only 0.
7 per cent of its total passenger car sales.
Currently, Honda has launched 11 electric vehicles in the global market, including the X-NV and e:NP1 in China, and the Prologue in the United States and Canada.
It is worth noting that the Honda e model has been discontinued, but it is still in stock.
At an event last Wednesday to showcase the company’s latest software and hardware technology, Minhong stressed that electric vehicles are still the “best choice” for light trucks and sport utility vehicles.
In May, Honda pledged to spend 10 trillion yen ($67.
7 billion) on electrification strategy by fiscal year 2031, covering areas such as software development and supply chain construction.
Supply chain systems will be built in major markets such as the United States, Canada and Japan.
Honda’s much-anticipated electric van N-VAN e: is expected to go on sale in Japan in the near future.
At the same time, the company plans to launch the Honda 0 Series, a high-end electric car series, in markets such as North America from 2026.
Honda also revealed that a new model of the 0 series will make its debut at next year’s CES technology conference in Las Vegas.
Honda also mentioned new software features that will be standard in the 0 series, such as the use of facial recognition technology to automatically unlock doors, audio functions to provide geographic area information while driving, and an upgraded advanced driving assistance system.
Minhong made it clear that these features will be designed specifically for Honda and have nothing to do with Honda’s cooperation with Nissan in software-defined automotive technology.
On the hardware side, Honda plans to use super broadcast technology to make Honda 0 series battery casings at its Ohio plant and to use this technology to produce car chassis from 2028.
In addition, the company has developed a compact e-Axle system, which integrates motors with inverters to provide more spacious space for electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, Honda will introduce a new welding technology to reduce the weight of the frame.
The key Honda 0 series, although Honda took the lead in hybrid technology with its two-door Insight designed by aerodynamics in the early 21st century, its investment in all-electric vehicles has been relatively slow.
So far, Honda’s attempts have focused on retrofitting existing fuel cars, such as the Fit EV and Clarity, which offer a variety of powertrain options such as hybrid, pure electric and fuel cells.
Even the Prologue, its first mainstream electric vehicle aimed at the US market, is based on GM’s Ultium battery platform rather than Honda’s own technology, and GM is responsible for the production.
However, Honda did not stop there.
Honda showed off two concept cars at the 2024 International Consumer Electronics Show, heralding its imminent launch.
Among them, a concept car called Saloon is scheduled to be launched as the first production model of Honda 0 series electric vehicles in 2026.
Honda revealed more details about Saloon production cars at a media event in Japan.
Honda’s goal is not simply to turn popular internal combustion engine cars into electric vehicles, but to seek fundamental changes in the design of electric vehicles.
For this reason, Honda 0 series put forward the design concept of “light and thin, intelligent”.
The 0 series model has a complex electrical architecture that supports artificial intelligence infotainment systems and ADAS functions.
Honda said that the 0 series models will be equipped with lidar and will eventually achieve level 3 self-driving.
Honda regards the 0 series products as an overall software platform, which continuously improves the performance of cars through wireless updates.
In terms of key technical indicators, Honda said that the volume of the 0 series inverter is 40% smaller than before, and the friction loss of the motor is reduced by 17%.
These improvements increase the mileage by 12 miles per charge.
At the same time, the thickness of the battery box has been reduced by 6%, and the structure has been simplified from 60 parts to only 5 parts.
The 0 series will first adopt the 400V architecture and then upgrade to the charging speedFaster 800V architecture.
The 0 series is crucial for Honda to achieve its electrification goals.
Honda plans to make electric cars account for 40% of its global sales by 2030 and achieve all global sales of battery-powered or fuel-cell electric vehicles by 2040.
At the financial level, Honda aims to achieve a 5% return on sales in its electric vehicle business by 2030.
For years, Honda has relied on hybrid vehicles to drive its electrification process, rather than pure electric vehicles.
However, the launch of the Honda 0 series will completely change that.
As a series of new electric vehicles, Honda’s all-electric 0 series will be officially launched in 2026, including sedans and SUV models.
Honda said that the production version of the concept sedan will be the flagship model of the 0 series, targeting the high-end market, so its price may be much higher than that of the Accord.
By 2030, Honda plans to launch seven 0-series models in the global market, covering all market segments.
Can electric cars make a profit? Honda executives pointed out that the initial launch of electric vehicles may not take profit as the primary goal, but the entire product line will be profitable through parts sharing, economies of scale and aftermarket strategy.
Three Minhong stressed that the future business model of electric vehicles will be different from the existing business models, and the value created by electric vehicles will also be different.
In the field of traditional internal combustion engine cars, larger models tend to mean higher profits.
however, industry insiders are well aware that because battery costs account for 30% of total costs, as a result, the profit margins of large cars with large batteries may be compressed.
Honda is working on battery materials and production efficiency in order to reduce costs.
Like many carmakers, Honda sees the aftermarket as an important source of profit, especially for software-defined cars, which can increase revenue by charging extra fees or offering subscriptions to features and services.
Although Honda and GM were interested in working together to develop a range of economical electric vehicles, the plan has fallen through.
Honda plans to launch economical electric cars at some point in the future, but the exact date has not yet been set.
The work will be done within Honda while waiting for low-cost technologies such as solid-state batteries to mature.
Shinji Aoyama, global head of Honda electrification, admitted that the high cost of batteries is the main problem, and the corresponding business case has not yet been formed.
Solid-state batteries were initially expected to reach mass production in 2025, but Honda later postponed that forecast to 2030.
Honda has a pilot plant in Tochigi prefecture to develop solid-state batteries.
However, obtaining the chemical composition needed to produce solid-state batteries at low cost has proved to be very challenging.
The real cost savings will come from second-generation electric vehicles, which are expected to begin assembly at a new dedicated plant in Aliston, Ontario, in 2028.
The Canadian factory will be equipped with an adjacent battery plant and two joint ventures with suppliers to provide cathodes and diaphragms for the battery plant.
The battery factory will initially produce lithium-ion batteries, and when the technology is mature, it will gradually transition to the production of solid-state batteries, so as to enable the automobile assembly plant to produce more economical electric vehicles.
Honda executives said that the Canadian plant will adopt the latest flexible and efficient production technology, and production costs are expected to be reduced by 35%.
In the Chinese market, Honda has adopted a different strategy from the rest of the world and uses different electric vehicle platforms and supply chains.
This is because the Chinese market has the characteristics of uniqueness and rapid development.
By 2027, Honda will launch 10 Honda-branded electric cars as part of the “Ye” series.
By 2035, electric cars will account for 100% of Honda’s car sales in China.
, return to the first electric network home page >.
