The new tech in Honda's O Series has me excited about the future of EVs

Key Takeaways

The forthcoming Honda 0 Series cars will benefit from weight reduction thanks to pioneering new manufacturing techniques developed by the Japanese automaker.
Production will be more efficient too, with the use of innovative megacasting techniques and the ability to quickly adapt battery cases to suit the model being built.
Honda provided a demo drive of the new powertrain setup installed inside existing ‘mule’ production cars along with previewing the latest UX developments.

I’ve been a huge fan of Honda cars for years, my favorite models being the series four Prelude and — for the last 15 years or so — its legendary, high-revving S2000 two-seater sport. Honda might have something of a reputation for producing wonderfully well-built and quite safe models like the Honda Civic but managed to spice even that up by subsequently producing a Type-R version of it. That, too, is a brilliant piece of engineering.

However, while Honda still has its sights on producing ICE models for the foreseeable future, with hybrids being the core focus of its attention, the all-electric landscape is a core part of its vision for the future. The Japanese automaker unveiled its first 0 Series concept models at CES back in January 2024, which consisted of the Saloon and Space-Hub. Since then, the company has been drip-feeding me nuggets of information about its so-called ‘Thin, Light, Wise’ approach to EVs.

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All of this to say, I recently made a trip to Japan so Honda could give me a deeper insight into its plans for production vehicles, which are set to arrive in North America in 2026. In all, there are currently seven small to mid-sized models planned.

The Honda masterplan

Thin, Light, Wise

Honda / Pocket-lint

A big moan from many EV skeptics is that battery-powered vehicles, by their very nature, are simply far too heavy. Combine that with our seemingly insatiable appetite for SUVs, and you’ve ended up with loads of four-wheelers that are simply too big and bulky. The Honda 0 Series aims to change all that with its Thin, Light, Wise philosophy to produce vehicles that are leaner and lighter than today’s bloated buses.

Honda went back to the drawing board when planning the ‘0’ Series. Weight was obviously something it wanted to reduce, and it appears the engineering team has been successful. It’s all about the components, which, in the case of the new Honda eAxle, has allowed engineers to get the same high output while downsizing the inverter by almost 40 percent and setting it side by side with the motor in a transverse configuration. Not only is it lighter, it sits lower down in the car for better handling.

The new Honda eAxle has allowed engineers to get the same high output while downsizing the inverter by almost 40 percent.

The added benefit of this design is how it can be applied to a range of different models. So, for example, an all-wheel drive model can be fitted with 180kW power units on the front and back axle, or alternatively, there can be a 50kW unit on the front and a 180kW on the back. Rear-wheel drive models can have just the 180kW unit mounted at the rear, while the same eAxle unit in its 50kW guise can be used for both battery and hybrid vehicles too.

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The production reality

Engineering the new line

Crucially, batteries for the new production run are set to be less thick than they used to be, albeit in the region of 8mm, which isn’t a huge amount. Battery range, too, isn’t anything drastically different to what other manufacturers offer, with the first 0 Series EV likely to start with a basic range of around 300 miles with the smaller of its battery packs.

Honda can now produce two different sized battery casings from one procedure using an innovative form of friction stir welding.

The clever part here is how Honda has developed a new manufacturing process that utilizes a 6,000-ton megacasting machine while reducing the number of parts needed for a battery case from 60 to just five. Honda can now produce two different sized battery casings from one procedure using an innovative form of friction stir welding (FSW), allowing it to meet the need for producing EVs of different sizes as market demand grows.

Meanwhile, Constant Direct Current Chopping (or CDC) technology will be used to join components of different thicknesses together even if they’re made of many different materials. This will help reduce overall body frame weight while still offering the required levels of safety performance. The process has been praised by the automotive industry for its clever new flex-cell production approach, which is far more efficient.

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My first impressions

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I’m excited about the Honda 0 Series EVs, even though it’s quite hard to connect the dots to see how everything will work together. I spent a few days being offered bite-sized chunks of tech that, on their own, look good, but I think the real proof of the pudding will be when the final package appears.

In terms of driving, what I experienced was certainly tempting from the three-lap track run using the new powertrain system. It was short but sweet, with plenty of smooth, powerful performance on tap.

As always, Honda engineers had a few tricks up their sleeves too, like the Honda e I sat inside to experience the array of different digital screen modes that could appear in the 0 Series cars. I got to try a version of my very own Honda S2000 digital dash layout, which emulates the look and feel of the real thing, adding in synthesized sound and speaker vibrations under the seat to make me feel like I was sitting in my own ICE car.

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Trust the process

There were other options on the touchscreen too, including both variants of the legendary Honda NSX and even the cockpit look, plus sounds, of the HondaJet executive plane. It was all a little bit wacky, but that’s what I love about Honda’s mischievous psyche.

No matter, there’s enough great stuff brewing with the arrival of the 0 Series to keep me happy, and I can’t wait to see what the first finished article looks like when it’s unveiled at CES in January 2025.