12 things to know about next-generation Honda electric vehicles coming in 2026

Last week at the CES in Las Vegas, Honda gave a first look at future electric car models planned for 2026 Limousine and space hub concepts. Both are intended for the 0-series (Zero-series) platform.

At least some of these models will be made in the US and will arrive in the US first – ahead of Japan, China and Europe – the automaker clarified. Honda also said they will be connected yet fun to drive, offer an as-yet-unfinished motion management system for ride and handling, emphasize efficiency and have lightweight, energy-dense battery packs.

These batteries, intended to be used in later versions of the platform, can be charged from 15 to 80% in just 10 to 15 minutes and will not lose more than 10% of the original battery capacity (and range) after 10 years of use. said Honda.

Honda exec Shinji Aoyama reveals layers of 0-Series EV architecture – CES 2024

Honda noted that the 0 Series will consist of many layers, including an EV platform (powertrain), an E&E architecture (electrical and electronic), a software platform, an application layer, a sensor suite, and Honda Connect telematics and Data. Software delivery.

Based on a question-and-answer session with Toshihiro Mibe, Honda’s global CEO, and Shinki Aoyama, the company’s top executive in charge of electric vehicles, as well as several interviews with other company executives, Green Car Reports provides more context on these upcoming models.

Below are 12 key points to keep in mind: what these upcoming electric vehicles will bring, what they won’t, and whether you should keep these models in mind the next time you trade in.

Honda Sedan Concept – 2024 CES

In terms of size, it’s in the middle of Honda’s EV future. The first production models of the 0 series start in the “mid-large” segment. Honda declined to provide dimensions for the concept vehicles, but they appeared to be around 190 inches long. After a few years, Honda will introduce different sized electric and drive platforms, so the 0 Series can range from small to large.

No niche models. A production model based on the sedan will come onto the market in 2026, Mibe explained, but emphasized that Honda has not yet decided on a production quantity. However, there will be several production Honda electric vehicles based on the 0-series building blocks. Honda has committed to an annual production of 40 gigawatt hours under a battery supply joint venture agreement with LG – enough to produce 350,000 to 400,000 vehicles, Aoyama stressed.

Honda Space Hub Concept – 2024 CES

No treaties, civics, or CR-Vs. While these aren’t niche projects, don’t expect the 0-Series to use existing Honda brand names like Accord, Civic or CR-V. Don’t expect any either affordable small electric vehicles well before 2030. Aoyama said the company has been looking at traction for Honda-branded electric vehicles in recent years and concluded that it would be more difficult for the company to simply add electric versions of older models. Acura is handled differently.

Afeela EV will share the platform and create a “wow” factor. Mibe explained that the fundamentals of the 0 series will be used as common building blocks for this Afeela electric sedan is scheduled to be sold by Sony-Honda in 2026. However, not all components will be the same. Sony and Honda’s efforts will include aspects that “increase the value of the vehicle” and “excite the world,” he noted.

Honda Space Hub Concept – 2024 CES

Thin, light and wide starts with the battery. Honda emphasized that its engineering approach to the 0 Series is thin, light and wide, and it starts by reducing the battery height at the bottom of the vehicle by about 10%, boasted Daisuke Tsutamori, the creative director and general manager for Honda R&D’s E-Mobility Design Department. Although Tsutamori couldn’t yet elaborate on what makes this possible, he explained that it’s a technical aspect that gives more scope for design as it moves toward production. As Honda reveals more about its package, look out for other details that help keep the dimensions down. It’s about more than just refrigeration and packaging. GM, for example, said it did this in part with the help of a Wireless battery management system Despite the large cell size, the design of the Ultium battery pack was kept clean and compact.

300 mile target range. “We designed the Zero Series with a target of 300 miles or more as the optimal range,” said Koji Nakano, general manager and chief engineer for BEV product planning at Honda. Nakano didn’t say whether this range target might apply to one or both of the concept shapes shown at CES, but confirmed that a 300-mile target applies to the Series 0 series in the US market. He added that Honda chose the range target combined with the thin battery form factor to minimize losses and optimize efficiency while meeting customer needs.

Honda 0 sedan concept

No carbon fiber. Honda isn’t jumping on the carbon fiber bandwagon. BMW in particular has opted to use carbon fiber with an aluminum structure underneath i3 electric car, with the idea that slightly higher manufacturing costs pay off in the long run in a lower carbon footprint. But it was an expense that the company ultimately couldn’t reconcile. Nakano couldn’t reveal whether Honda plans to make these vehicles out of steel, aluminum or other materials, but confirmed that they won’t use carbon fiber or carbon fiber-reinforced plastic.

Ready for bi-directional charging. Nakano also confirmed that these vehicles are being developed with bi-directional charging in mind and the production models will offer this capability. It certainly looked that way at CES The mobile power supply has been charged between the front and rear seats of the Space Hub concept. That would be a good thing for Honda Motocompacto electric scooteranother potential product connection for the future.

Honda Space Hub concept with mobile power pack

Steer-by-wire basis, autonomy in the future. With the 0 Series, Honda is working on SAE Level 3 city driving capability and aims to deliver this feature wirelessly in the late 2020s. In an accompanying press release, Honda pointed to greater availability and affordability of such a performance package. The automaker hasn’t yet detailed how the steer-by-wire system on these models will be implemented, but it will enable assisted driving as well as much more packaging flexibility.

Honda Sedan Concept – 2024 CES

Aero front. Aerodynamics are a big part of efficiency and real-world range. Tsutamori confirmed that Honda plans to produce an electric vehicle based largely on the sedan model. While he admitted that Honda focused on the drag coefficient when modeling the shape of these vehicles, he stressed that at this point they were concepts and would not reveal any numbers.

Honda Sedan Concept – 2024 CES

Not retro. Honda has gone for a decidedly retro style in some of its previous EV designs, such as the Honda Ethat never flew to the USA, and that Sporty EV coupe concept that was never produced. Car design has evolved, Tsutamori said, and while the focus on the 0 Series is on a simple, clean design, some elements of previous Honda design are mixed in, including on the first-generation Civic for the front end, which replaces a grille houses a radar, lidar and other sensors.

Honda Space Hub Concept – 2024 CES

There is no rear window. None of the concept vehicles shown by Honda have rear windows. While rear windows on super sports cars have been a gray area for years, the family market is getting an example of this with the upcoming model Polestar 4. As Tsutamori explained, the question of whether Honda goes this route depends on whether the regulations for each market are reviewed as these models advance toward production. But he made it clear that it’s a design decision Honda would like to make, as it represents a way to increase space for rear passengers.