The Honda Zero EVs look even more compelling up close

Honda released one of the more interesting concepts at last year’s CES with two Honda Zero prototypes: the Saloon and the Space-Hub. It promised to come back in a year with something a little closer to production. But rather than temper those space-age design elements, Honda leaned into them. Way in.

The Honda 0 Saloon and Honda 0 SUV retain a lot of what made the concepts so weird and different — and not necessarily in an off-putting way. But it’s definitely not the electric CR-V that customers have been begging the company to make for years. In fact, Honda seems to be saying to all those people who want normie-looking EVs, “We see you. We hear you. We don’t care.”

Much has already been said about the similarities between these Honda Zero prototypes and certain iconic vehicles from the ’70s and ’80s, like the Lamborghini Countach, AMC Gremlin, Aston Martin Lagonda Shooting Brake, and (h/t Jason Torchinsky) the Brubaker Box.

My theory is that Honda is reaching for these design inspirations as a way to offset the future shock of an ultra-minimalist interior and all the marketing speak about “software-defined vehicles.” After all, Honda’s real announcement this year was the operating system it developed in-house, named after its iconic Asimo robot.

The Zero EVs mostly feel like a lot of window dressing for the actual product, which is software. What better way to draw people into listening to a TED talk about “high-performance system-on-a-chip” than to stand in front of a car that looks like it should be floating in low orbit?

One of the things I noticed about the Saloon was the lack of a rear window — that rounded rectangle in the back isn’t transparent. The depth effect is very impressive, but it’s not obscuring an incognito window. It’s just the taillight.

Something else that caught my attention was the lack of sideview mirrors. Honda is using cameras instead. Drivers who want to check their blind spots will need to use two screens embedded at either end of the long piece of glass that spans the length of the dashboard. Of course, US safety regulations require regular old sideview mirrors, so this seems mostly aspirational.

The SUV is less “out there” than the Saloon, and that probably means we’re likely to see some version of it on US roads before the sedan. There’s definitely a rear window, and the airiness of the greenhouse seems to allude to Honda Zero’s design principles of “thin, light, and wise.”

We don’t have any specs for either vehicle, though Honda has said that its Zero EVs will draw from the automaker’s Formula 1 racing experience. The automaker is also aiming for optimum battery efficiency through its e-Axle system consisting of a motor, inverter, and gearbox that convert electric power into energy for driving. Each EV is expected to have around 300 miles of range, which translates to an 80–90kWh battery.

Other important details include an effort to consolidate electronic control units, similar to Rivian’s recently relaunched R1 vehicles. By reducing the number of components and wiring, Honda is clearly trying to limit its costs in an environment where the price of production seems to be on the rise.

The absence of anything remotely resembling a physical knob or dial inside either vehicle is a pretty good sign that automakers continue to ignore the pleas of customers to stop porting every last bit of functionality through its digital interfaces. Yes, I’m an old man yelling at clouds, but for the love of god, give me something to twist or push. Trying to adjust the heat by tapping blindly at a smooth pane of glass while careening down a highway at 75mph isn’t exactly my idea of a good time.

The yoke is… a yoke. Automakers love their steering yokes! But when it comes time to actually put something into production, they mostly retreat back to wheel shapes. The moonroof is another one of those features that suggest “thin” principles. And obviously, Honda’s promise that its Zero vehicles will come with Level 3 autonomy, also known as “hands-off, eyes-off” driving, needs a lot more explanation. What’s the handoff between autonomous system and driver look like? And how will it account for our very human tendency to zone out when we’re not actively engaged in driving?

There are a lot of questions swirling around these vehicles! Will they ever go into production? There’s a nonzero chance.