Honda Offers Early Look at Prologue EV

Honda’s been a bit of a laggard in the EV match in the U.S., but it is searching to transform that, and the to start with sign of that shift is the Prologue, which the Japanese automaker supplied a sketch of Wednesday.

The new, entirely electrical crossover is set to get there in the U.S. and be the 1st of a wave of in the end 30 EVs the corporation strategies to develop globally by 2030. However, the Prologue is to start with of a slew of cars qualified at U.S. customers. Far more will be coming from the growing partnership between Honda and Standard Motors.

“We declared a strategy two many years in the past, positioned as a clever technique, to co-develop an electric powered auto with GM. What will outcome is not just a additional economical system, but a excellent seeking new auto, the Honda Prologue,” said Mamadou Diallo, vice president of Car Sales, American Honda Motor Co. Inc.  

“Our dealers are excited about Prologue and the fact that it is just the to start with quantity Honda EV, with more Honda engineered EVs we will start off setting up in North America coming to sector in 2026.”

What is coming

Prologue will be one particular of two BEVs set to depend on GM’s new “Ultium” batteries and skateboard-style system. The next model will be sold by means of the Japanese automaker’s upscale Acura model, Dave Gardner, American Honda’s government vice president of countrywide operations, explained earlier.

GM at first agreed to enable Honda provide two all-electric powered autos to market, top the powertrain development of both the Honda Prologue and the however-unnamed Acura BEV. The Japanese organization targeted on exterior and interior design.

Previous thirty day period, the two partners declared plans to grow their connection, among the other things focusing on entry-degree styles that could assist carry in more mainstream purchasers. That was expected to yield new choices for both Honda and GM setting up less than $30,000.

Honda needs to go from selling practically no BEVs today to at least 2 million by the close of the 10 years. Variations of the GM Ultium platform will be essential to that expansive focus on, though Honda does strategy to continue working on its have “eArchitecture.” 

It will leverage some of GM’s technologies but introduce some one of a kind-to-Honda characteristics, which includes its primary electric technique. Wanting ahead, a lot of field specialists think that is a single of the significant spots where by automakers will be in a position to differentiate their all-electric powered goods.

How a lot of are predicted

In North The united states, Honda has laid out an aggressive timeline of EV introductions based on three phases top to 2030:

• 2024: Start out product sales of the Honda Prologue, co-made with GM
• 2026: Commence production and gross sales of Honda products dependent on the new Honda e:Architecture.  
• 2027: Start out manufacturing and revenue of a new series of economical EVs, based mostly on a new car or truck architecture co-designed with GM. 

Primarily based on these 3 phases, the Honda model strategies to provide nearly 500,000 EVs in North The us by 2030.

The automaker options to get the job done with dealers on how most effective promote these 500K in new cars, which includes updating their dealerships to far better tackle EVs. This suggests some factors like including high-speed chargers, maybe transforming up the show space and finding the right applications in the palms of technicians so EVs can be serviced adequately.