Nuked Hey there, my fellow tech enthusiasts! I’ve got some exciting news to share with you all today. Honda has just announced that they are working on a brand new mid to large-sized electric SUV specifically for the US market, set to be released in 2025. What’s even more impressive is that this new vehicle will be built on Honda’s very own Honda e Architecture EV platform, a year earlier than originally planned.
The new SUV will follow the release of Honda’s upcoming Prologue and Acura ZDX SUVs, both of which are co-developed with GM and run on the American automaker’s Ultium EV platform. While the Prologue will be a mid-sized SUV, the new Honda electric SUV will be bigger and offer three-row seating, competing with other family-hauling EVs like the Kia EV9 and Rivian R1S.
But that’s not all – Honda also plans to extend its partnership with GM and develop several more “affordable” EVs based on Ultium for sale in “2027 and beyond.” The new electric SUV will also debut with a brand new original vehicle operating system and an over-the-air (OTA) software-updatable platform called Electric and Electronic (E&E) architecture, which will facilitate in-vehicle software and UX/digital services connectivity.
While Tesla and Rivian already support OTA updates that change more than just their infotainment system, Honda will need to match these competitors to make the new SUV attractive and functional. It will also have to compete with GM’s own UX, which will not have Apple’s CarPlay to hide behind in the future.
In addition to its partnership with GM, Honda is also working with LG Energy Solution to begin a new battery production joint venture before the end of the year. The automaker is exploring its own solid-state battery tech, along with a semi-solid-state joint development with SES. Honda plans to have a demonstration line of solid-state batteries next year and introduce them in new EVs coming in “the second half of the 2020s.”
Honda also announced today that it will be re-tooling three Honda plants in Ohio to prepare production lines for electrification and become its North American EV production hub. The automaker plans to build 2 million EVs annually by 2023 and only build electric and fuel-cell vehicles globally by 2040.
So there you have it, folks – Honda is making big moves in the EV market and we can’t wait to see what they come up with next. Stay tuned for more updates!
