Honda Motor Co., Ltd. yesterday held its “Honda 0 Tech Meeting 2024” and introduced some of the next-generation technologies to be applied to the Honda 0 Series, a completely new EV series Honda is planning to launch in the global market starting in 2026.
At CES 2024 held in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. in January of this year, Honda unveiled two concept models of the Honda 0 Series, the Saloon and the Space-Hub. Honda also announced plans to launch a production model of the Saloon in 2026. This production model will be close to the Saloon concept model, and it will be positioned as the flagship model of the Honda 0 Series. Moreover, Honda has also announced plans to introduce a total of seven Honda 0 Series models globally by 2030, including small-, medium- and large-size models.
Thin and Light
With the “Thin” development approach, Honda will continue to value and realize the M/M (Man Maximum, Machine Minimum) concept in this EV era and strive to offer new value of EVs as a comfortable “space” featuring an original styling design with a low vehicle height and short overhangs.
Newly developed dedicated EV platform
Adopting the 2.0 GPa grade hot stamping material (ultra-high strength steel plate), Honda developed a new EV platform to realize both thin and low-height styling, as well as the safety and peace of mind of the occupants. In addition, combined with the adoption of a thin battery pack and a newly developed compact e-Axle, the original Honda low-floor technology enables a low center of gravity and low inertia by placing heavy components low and in the center of the vehicle. This stabilizes vehicle behavior and enables a sporty driving.
Newly-developed compact e-Axle
The motor and inverter technologies Honda has amassed through the development of hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) will be utilized in EVs to realize a compact and highly efficient e-Axle. The inverter was downsized by approximately 40%*1, which made it possible to achieve a horizontal layout package where the inverter is placed side by side with the motor, something that has been difficult to achieve in the past. With this compact e-Axle, the low-height styling and maximizing of cabin space will be achieved at the same time.
Thin battery pack
The IPU (battery) case will be made approximately 6% thinner through the adoption of Megacasting and 3D friction stir welding (FSW) technology. In addition, by adopting a body structure which is designed to disperse the impact of a collision, the extra space needed to protect the battery will be reduced, which will result in a larger area available for mounting a battery. With these technologies, a lighter and thinner battery pack will be installed with maximum efficiency, contributing to an extension of the range for Honda 0 Series models.
Furthermore, Honda is striving to limit the degradation of battery capacity (range) to less than 10% after 10 years of use by applying battery degradation diagnosis and prediction technology that utilizes driving data from 5 million Honda vehicles, mostly HEVs.
Active aerodynamic system
Honda has developed an active aerodynamic system that will automatically activate the front aero deflector according to the vehicle speed and other factors. The front aero deflector is installed under the floor to reduce air resistance for all vehicle body types including the ones with high vehicle height or with styling that are susceptible to air resistance, such as SUVs. In addition to reducing driving energy without compromising daily usability, this system will enable the vehicle to demonstrate high downforce performance and contribute to an increase in straight-line stability of the vehicle.
New body rigidity management to realize high driving stability and lightweight
A sporty and exhilarating driving experience will be achieved by adopting a new steering stability index, which provides the ability to flex the vehicle body to control load on each tire during cornering. The simplified body structure also contributes to an overall vehicle weight reduction of approximately 100kg (220 pounds) compared to initial Honda EVs.
Advancement of the Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) case production technologies
A 6,000-ton class megacasting (high-pressure, high-precision casting) machine will be adopted to the IPU (battery) case production line, which will significantly reduce the number of parts from more than 60 to 5. In addition, by joining a dedicated IPU case part, which is different for each EV model size, and a common part with FSW technology, a variety of IPU cases can be produced efficiently. This will improve overall production efficiency and limit the required capital investment. Honda will continue to advance these production technologies, including the expansion of the application to large aluminum casting body frame parts in the future.
Advancement of technologies to realize a lighter vehicle body
The application of the world’s first CDC joining technology will enable the expansion of the range of use of lightweight and high-strength materials. This will improve electricity efficiency performance through the reduction of the body frame weight and enhance passive safety performance at the same time.
Advancement of production method on battery pack assembly line
For the battery pack assembly line, a newly-developed cell production system will be adopted to achieve both high production efficiency and flexibility. The Honda flex-cell production system, where multiple cells are connected by AGVs (automatic guided vehicles) and production processes can be combined flexibly, will enable flexible adjustments to changes in production models and fluctuations in production volume.
AD/ADAS (Automated Driving/Advanced Driver Assistance Systems)
In 2021, Honda put Level 3 automated driving equipment into practical use with the launch of the all-new Legend equipped with Honda SENSING Elite, which qualified for Level 3 automated driving (eyes-off), conditional driving automation in limited areas. The Honda 0 Series models will feature AD/ADAS technologies that utilize the Level 3 technologies to offer more affordable automated driving vehicles to more customers. Moreover, Honda 0 Series models will be equipped with a system that enables the expansion of the range of driving conditions where driver assistance and Level 3 automated driving (eyes-off) will be available.
This expansion will start with eyes-off technology available in traffic congestion on highways, then will continue through the OTA updates of the functions. Honda is further advancing its AD/ADAS technologies, such as LiDAR-based high-precision and highly-reliable sensing, high-definition camera sensing of all surroundings, and installation of a high-performance ECU compatible with Honda original AI and sensor fusion.
In addition, original Honda AI technology that combines the unsupervised learning technology of the U.S.-based Helm.ai and the behavior models of experienced drivers, which enable AI to learn with smaller amounts of data, and provide highly accurate driver assistance. This will enable the system to accurately predict risks and smoothly avoid them, even while driving on roads that are new to the driver/vehicle, enabling Honda to quickly expand the range of automated driving and driver assistance.