We’ve seen the new small hatchbacked EV that Honda has been working, and we also know that unfortunately the cute-as-a-button Honda e (as the concept is called) will not be sold in North America. Those on our continent who want the Honda name on an electric vehicle should not despair, however. The Japanese automaker is hard at work on the next phase of its electrification plan.
The company is working on a new electric vehicle architecture, and this new platform will actually be used on cars and SUVs sold on this side of the Atlantic (and Pacific).
Honda has not provided any precise dates when we might see the new platform underpinning an actual vehicle, but it promises it will be ready before 2025. As with the small Honda e concept that will be unveiled as a production model in the near-future, the larger vehicles that will ride on the new platform will benefit from a rear-wheel-drive configuration thanks to an electric motor working the back wheels. Logically, future vehicles with AWD will get such a system tied to the front wheels.
What’s more, the company aims to achieve 50-50 weight distribution between the front and back halves of these vehicles in order to optimize the driving experience they deliver.
"This new architecture is designed to achieve smooth driving and highly efficient packaging. We believe it will meet the needs of customers who like our C-segment and D-segment models.”
Ayumu Matsuo, Honda managing officer in charge of power unit development, in interview with Automotive News
And what about the range these future vehicles might deliver? Honda declined to say anything about that, but it did say the idea is that the models would be suited to long-distance treks.
Honda has said it wants 15% of its total sales to consist of all-electric vehicles by 2030