Honda's EV journey is off to a rough start. But the plans are already in motion for a smoother future. The Japanese automaker outlined its EV strategy during a conference today, promising to roll out seven models globally by the end of the decade. Developed from the ground up, these new vehicles are part of the 0 Series lineup and will vary in size from small to large.
While announcements from automakers about future electric vehicles are made weekly, there is something interesting that caught our attention. Honda will capitalize on its Formula 1 expertise to make its next generation of EVs lighter. The goal is to shave off around 220 pounds of fat compared to the company's initial electric cars. That won't be enough to fully compensate for the weight penalty caused by the bulky batteries but it's a notable improvement.
The diet will consist of lighter body frames and newly developed thinner electric motors using F1 know-how. Engineers will mount the motors and batteries low in the center of the EV, thus lowering its center of gravity to sharpen up handling. Honda is also pledging to deliver the "world's top class electricity efficiency performance" after cutting fat. All 0 Series models will have over 300 miles of range, per the EPA test cycle.
Honda touts these new EVs will deliver "sporty driving that leads to the joy of driving." Marketing fluff aside, we've already been promised an electric sports car. Earlier this year, company CEO Toshihiro Mibe said a fun EV is in development and will "have a completely different taste" compared to past sporty Hondas.
Pictured here is the 2017 Sports EV Concept, which sadly never made it to production. Realistically, there are better chances of seeing a third-generation, all-electric NSX first but let's hope a more affordable model is in the pipeline as well. However, looking at the product roadmap below, Honda will initially focus on crossovers and SUVs.
The first Series 0 cars are scheduled to come out in the second half of the decade. North America will get the first ones in 2026 before Honda will introduce the EVs in other global markets. A sedan (previewed by the 0 Series Saloon concept), a mid-size SUV, and an entry-level SUV will launch in 2026, with a bigger three-row SUV arriving in 2027. These will be followed by a compact SUV in 2028, a smaller SUV in 2029, and a compact sedan in 2030.
Elsewhere, Honda will continue to work on hybrids to launch new all-wheel-drive models. It's unclear whether the reborn Prelude will be one of them, but the sixth-generation coupe has been confirmed as a hybrid. Much like the EVs, these partially electrified models will also be lighter and more efficient.
As a refresher, the Prelude is coming back as early as 2025 or 2026 with four seats and both left- and right-hand-drive configurations. Honda's chief engineer Tomoyuki Yamagami has said it won't be a hardcore sports car: "This isn't going to be the sportiest, zippiest car that's going to be tossed into the circuits." A final decision about bringing it to the United States hasn't been announced.
