Honda Zero first drive: an EV without the baggage

Honda is nary alien to pushing exertion boundaries erstwhile it comes to powertrains, and the institution gave america a little thrust of its caller electrified platform, the Honda Zero, which made its debut astatine CES past year. 

While we lone got a abbreviated clip with an aboriginal prototype and details were slim connected a batch of the technology, Honda offered a fewer much details astir however it hopes to instrumentality the institution into a much electrified future, gathering 7 models connected the caller level by 2030. 

But the caller level is person than it seems. The archetypal Honda Zero Series accumulation vehicle, a adjacent comparative of the Saloon sedan, volition debut astatine CES 2025. 

A nimble drive

We got a full of 3 laps of a closed people astatine Honda Global successful Tochigi, Japan, which included a abbreviated acceleration run, a rising hairpin, and a bid of slaloms. There were 2 prototype vehicles, a Honda Civic and a Honda CR-V, riding atop the Honda Zero platform, including a caller artillery battalion and electrical motors.

Beyond that, thing we experienced successful the prototypes volition transportation implicit straight into the accumulation models, truthful it’s intolerable to springiness much than conscionable an archetypal impression. We were lone permitted to thrust the prototype once; I drove the CR-V variant.

What I tin accidental from the constricted clip and enactment is that the level feels noticeably lighter than the Honda Prologue, which Honda jointly developed with GM conscionable earlier scrapping their plans to make a afloat lineup of affordable EVs in precocious 2023. The Honda Prologue is underpinned by GM’s Ultium EV architecture and intimately related to the Chevy Blazer EV, which besides feels importantly heavier than the prototype Honda we drove successful Japan.

The caller Honda Zero level feels akin to different EV platforms connected the marketplace successful presumption of acceleration and handling. Because the value is debased successful the floor, the prototype CR-V cornered rapidly and level arsenic you approached the limit. The powertrain is speedy and responsive, and connected the short, beforehand consecutive that the engineers acceptable up for our trial laps, I deed 110km (just shy of 70mph) successful a comparatively abbreviated distance. 

I ain a 2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid, and the prototype CR-V connected the Honda Zero level was a batch much tossable without a batch of assemblage roll. It handled the speedy slalom well, too. 

Slim connected details

Unfortunately, Honda was truly airy connected details astir its caller “Thin, Light and Wise,” platform. The institution claims that the artillery battalion volition beryllium “6 percent thinner… compared to the modular component/function installed successful presently disposable accumulation EVs.” How light, heavy, oregon heavy that translates to is anyone’s guess. 

Honda is arsenic cagey astir the powerfulness output and capableness of the caller battery, developed successful concern with LG Energy Solution, which volition underpin the aboriginal Honda Zero models. Honda executives said the caller artillery level would beryllium designed for an EPA-rated scope of 300 miles but declined to accidental thing much astir however they’ll execute that range. The institution besides said that it is aiming to bounds artillery degradation to little than 10 percent aft 10 years of use, by leveraging the learnings it’s gained from driving information from 5 cardinal Honda vehicles, astir of which were hybrid vehicles. 

Honda leveraged a batch of that hybrid conveyance acquisition to make new, much compact inverters and motors for the Zero platform, which contributes to its lightness. This technology, which Honda refers to arsenic its e-Axle, gets a 40 percent smaller inverter than that successful different commercially disposable EVs. 

Honda wouldn’t item immoderate hard numbers oregon nonstop competitors they utilized for comparison, but it did accidental that determination volition beryllium 2 motors offered with assorted configurations: A 180kW and a 50kW, which tin marque a combined max of 360kW of power. 

There volition beryllium 4 options for the centrifugal layouts: AWD with 2 180kW motors astatine the beforehand and rear; an AWD mentation with a 50kW astatine the beforehand and 180kW astatine the rear; a RWD with 180kW astatine the rear; and a shared BEV and hybrid level with the smaller 50kW centrifugal astatine the rear. 

The smaller e-Axles are laid retired horizontally successful the car, and the much compact inverters are close adjacent to the motors, contributing to a little level tallness and much interior abstraction for passengers, a plan worth that Honda refers to arsenic “Man Maximum, Machine Minimum,” oregon the “M/M Concept.”

Honda besides pioneered immoderate accumulation tools and techniques to connection thinner and lighter components. The institution is investing successful a full of six, 6,000-ton megacasting machines for artillery lawsuit production. 

Eventually, the monolithic machines volition beryllium utilized for body, frame, and rear module sections. Megacasting allows for divided casting truthful that the institution tin physique artillery packs for sedans and ample SUVs utilizing the aforesaid machine. They articulation the artillery lawsuit parts utilizing friction disturbance welding, which some improves the transportation of the weld and allows for a little tallness for the artillery pack. 

The institution is besides leveraging its ain Constant DC Chopping (CDC) exertion to articulation bladed and heavy materials to support the framework value down portion inactive offering precocious tensile spot for safety. These manufacturing techniques volition yet rotation retired to the full Honda enactment (including ICE vehicles), and Honda says that they volition assistance the full fleet lighten up by astir 20 percent. 

Vaporware but promises a lot

Honda showed disconnected immoderate of its UX software, which inactive feels precise overmuch similar it’s successful its improvement stage. These experiences see everything from being capable to virtually articulation a thrust taking spot elsewhere successful the satellite via VR headset to “autonomous” driving and facial designation and AI tools. 

We got a glimpse of the VR exertion erstwhile a chap writer enactment connected a headset and virtually joined a thrust happening successful Yokohama. Honda says that they program to merchandise the app that enables this diagnostic and get lawsuit feedback sometime earlier the motorboat of the upcoming Saloon, though details were sketchy. 

Honda besides plans to usage features similar AI and facial designation with customers. While companies similar Genesis person facial recognition, Honda is pushing the envelope further by leveraging instrumentality learning and AI to find intent.  

Honda is moving connected Level 3 automated driver-assistance systems that volition let for eyes-off cognition successful traffic. The strategy volition trust connected lidar and high-definition cameras arsenic good arsenic a blend of Honda’s archetypal AI exertion and Helm.ai, a level geared toward knowing the satellite the aforesaid mode a quality would.

Honda says that the Saloon, which whitethorn get different sanction erstwhile it debuts adjacent year, volition beryllium a limited-run, top-line vehicle, but it won’t autumn nether its premium brand, Acura. 

The accumulation mentation volition beryllium “closely related” to the concept, according to the company. Honda is besides partnered with Sony for the latter’s upcoming Afeela EV. Both the Honda Zero Saloon and the Afeela EV volition beryllium 2026 models.

Without a batch of factual details, Honda inactive has a batch of wiggle country connected what the caller Saloon volition really offer. At the precise least, it volition beryllium much than zero.