At CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Honda presented the first two models in its new 0 Series line of BEVs (battery electric vehicles). Production models based on the 0 SUV and 0 Saloon prototypes will launch in North America in 2026, followed by global markets. They are based on the company’s newly developed dedicated EV architecture with an in-house-developed vehicle OS (operating system) called ASIMO, which pays homage to its robot from the early 2000s.

The new prototypes build on the 0 Series family unveiled at last year’s CES with two concept models—the Saloon and van-like Space-Hub—based on a software-defined and connected platform and having a new H mark logo to be used exclusively for the company’s next-generation EV models.

The 0 Series will help Honda realize carbon neutrality for all its products and corporate activities by 2050. The company is working to achieve its automobile electrification target of increasing the ratio of EV and FCEV (fuel-cell EV) sales to 100% globally by 2040.

“With automakers competing on the value offered as software-defined vehicles, why are we describing our 0 Series as ‘wise’ instead of ‘smart,’” said Katsushi Inoue, Senior Managing Executive Officer, Electrification Business Development Operations, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. ‘It is to emphasize a new level of intelligent vehicle technology.”

 

The prototypes

The Saloon prototype, which will spawn the flagship of the Honda 0 Series, advances the concept introduced last year. It features a low height and “wedge-shaped” styling intended to set it apart from other EVs in the market and an interior that is more spacious than expected.

The mid-size SUV Prototype will be the first Honda 0 Series model to enter production. It builds on the 2024 Space-Hub concept, applying a “Thin, Light, and Wise” approach to yield a spacious cabin with a focus on visibility and flexibility as a “space” for people.

As with the 0 Saloon, the SUV will feature a variety of next-generation technologies and will offer the values of “ever-advancing” space through “ultra-personal optimization” and digital UX made possible by the ASIMO OS. The adoption of by-wire systems for integrated control of steering, suspension, and braking is said to result in outstanding handling.

“Our EVs will offer ‘ultra-personal optimization’ by thinking completely about the customer and optimizing all details including precise control settings for vehicle dynamics,” added Inoue. “Like a smartphone, various functions of 0 Series models will continue to advance even after the purchase. The more it is used, the more personalized it will become.”

Both 0 Series production models will be built at the Honda EV Hub in Ohio and introduced to the North American market first. The SUV is scheduled to be in the first half of 2026, and the Saloon in late 2026, both followed by global markets including Japan and Europe.

The “wise” 0 models will get “highly reliable” automated driving technologies backed by Honda’s Level 3 automated driving technology and the “ultra-personal optimization” of ASIMO OS for a mobility experience customized for each user. The company is developing a Home Energy Management System to enable a stress-free EV ownership experience with reduced environmental impact.

At this year’s CES, Honda also announced it had struck a deal with Renesas Electronics Corp. to develop a high-performance SoC (system-on-chip) to be introduced on the next generation of 0 Series models in the late 2020s.

 

ASIMO OS

Honda began robotics research and development in 1986 and introduced the ASIMO robot at CES in 2000. The humanoid robot, capable of autonomous walking, was developed as part of Honda’s fundamental technology research with the goal of “helping people while coexisting in society.”

“ASIMO was loved by people all over the world and became an icon in the field of robotics,” said Inoue. It “moved while recognizing its external environment and understanding the intentions of people around it. This unique value of ASIMO has been further advanced and applied to the 0 Series.”

After the robot, Honda continued to advance its robotics technologies including those from ASIMO that recognize external environments and control autonomous behavior that enable reactions while understanding the intentions of people around it.

Honda is striving to offer unique SDV (software-defined vehicle) features by combining robotics with advanced intelligence technologies for the 0 Series. For its software platform, the company intends to apply integrated management of ECUs (electronic control units) for vehicle systems such as AD/ADAS (automated driving/advanced driver assistance system) and IVI (in-vehicle infotainment). Vehicle functions and services will be continuously advanced through OTA (over the air) updates of the digital UX and integrated dynamics controls to deliver a personalized ownership experience to enhance the joy of driving.

 

Automated driving

In 2021, Honda became the first automaker to put Level 3 automated driving equipment into practical use with the launch of a Legend sedan equipped with Honda Sensing Elite. Available for consumer lease only in Japan, the vehicle qualified for Level 3 (eyes-off) conditional driving automation in limited areas. Honda believes that the widespread use of eyes-off technology will lead to the realization of zero traffic collision fatalities in the future.

“Putting eyes off to practical use was a big challenge to prove that our AD is actually safer than driving by a human driver,” said Steve Frey, Vice President of Development Operations, North American Automotive Development Center, at Honda Development & Manufacturing of America. “In addition to reducing the number of traffic collisions, AD vehicles must completely eliminate traffic accidents that people think a ‘human driver could avoid.’”

The company will aim to offer more affordable automated driving technologies to more customers through the 0 Series. To realize this objective, it will apply original Honda AI (artificial intelligence) technology combining the unsupervised learning technology from Helm.ai with the behavior models of experienced drivers. Honda says this will enable the AI to learn with smaller amounts of data and efficiently expand the range of situations where automated driving and driver assistance can be available.

“Since there are countless patterns of things around the vehicle other than the road, it is impossible for the system to learn everything,” explained Frey. “There are countless varieties of trees, and many of them change color and shape with the seasons. But by recognizing all of them more abstractly as “roadside trees,” the system can estimate its surroundings just like a human driver. With that, AD becomes possible on a road where your vehicle has never been before and even if the white lines aren’t visible.”

The OEM will apply its original cooperative AI developed through research into people and mobility to further improve the precision of cooperative behavior such as yielding the right of way to others on the road, which it says is difficult even for a human driver. It expects to develop a highly reliable driver assistance system that can respond quickly and appropriately to unexpected situations such as an animal darting into the lane or an object falling onto the road.

Honda is developing its system to enable the expansion of the range of driving conditions starting with eyes-off technology for traffic-congested highways. With Level 3 automated driving, the vehicle will oversee driving and enable the human driver to perform a “second task” like watching a movie or remotely joining a meeting while en route to his/her destination.

The company aims to be the first automaker to expand the application of eyes-off functions to all driving situations.

 

Better SoC coming

For next-generation 0 Series models to be launched in the late 2020s, Honda will adopt a centralized E/E (electrical/electronic) architecture that combines multiple ECUs into a single, core one for managing vehicle functions such as AD/ADAS, powertrain, and comfort. To achieve this, the ECU requires a SoC that provides higher processing performance than traditional systems while minimizing the increase in power consumption.

“With the 0 Series we’re trying to change the concept of mobility,” said Frey. “But to do that, and to realize AD and new value as a “space” for people, we will need an SoC that is capable of processing enormous amounts of data with low power consumption. By 2030, AI performance requirements for SDVs will be 500 times higher than today.”

Honda and Renesas, close collaborators for many years, announced during the Honda CES 2025 press conference that they will develop a new AI-based SOC system.

“The reality is that a general-purpose SoC can’t unlock the full potential of AI software for the 0 Series,” said Vivek Bhan, Senior Vice President and General Manager of High Performance Computing for Renesas Electronics Corp. “But if we design a dedicated SoC, we can maximize both computing performance and power-saving performance. And that is the significance of our collaboration.”

The agreement will involve the use of multi-die chiplet technology to combine the Renesas fifth generation (Gen 5) R-Car X5 SoC series with an AI accelerator optimized for AI software developed by Honda.

“This technology enables customization to augment AI performance by adding an AI accelerator based on the Renesas SoC,” added Bhan. “This latest SoC will be able to significantly reduce power consumption by applying 3-nm technology, the most advanced process for automotive semiconductors from TSMC.”

With this combination, the two companies look to develop a system that achieves one of the industry’s top AI performances of 2000 TOPS (tera operations per second), based on a sparse AI model, with 20 TOPS/W power efficiency.

“If we can realize the full potential of this ultra-high-performance SoC, we can run AD, dynamics, energy management and more on a single chip,” said Frey. “This will make the Honda 0 Series even more attractive for our customers.”

 

Energy service initiatives

Honda will develop and offer new energy services based on two core concepts—building a charging network that enables customers to enjoy stress-free freedom of mobility and enabling people to enjoy clean and smart daily lives utilizing EV batteries.

For the charging network, Honda is aiming for 0 Series users to never have trouble recharging their vehicles. In North America, it will rely on the Ionna charging network, a joint venture of eight automakers aiming for 30,000 high-quality charging stations by 2030. Adopting the NACS (North American Charging Standard) for the charging port will help to ensure that 0 Series owners will have access to more than 100,000 charging stations in the same timeframe.

For the 0 Series models, Honda also is considering a new charging service that leverages this broad charging network by incorporating AWS IT technologies. Using technologies such as Amazon Bedrock, the generative AI technology of AWS, the OEM hopes to provide a better charging experience.

“By incorporating AWS generative AI and related technologies into Honda intelligent technology, and analyzing data obtained from the Honda 0 Series and the extensive charging network, we will provide a personalized charging experience for each individual in terms of finding charging facilities and simplifying payment,” said Jay Joseph, Vice President of Sustainability and Business Development, at American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

To achieve its carbon neutrality goals, Honda says it is essential to use renewable energy and support the adoption of EVs.

For home charging, which is expected to account for about 80% of all EV charging, the OEM will further develop the Honda Smart Charge service for EV owners. It currently offers the service in North America by combining the Home Energy Management System co-developed with Emporia Corp. with the Vehicle Grid Integration system of ChargeScape, the software JV of Honda, BMW, and Ford.

Through these initiatives, Honda will start offering new services that contribute to reducing electricity costs and CO2 emissions for its customers in North America and other markets starting in 2026.

The collective fleet of 0 Series models will serve as a virtual power plant and offer a personalized charging plan for each user. A household’s electricity bill will be managed by charging when electricity costs are low and renewable energy can be used and then sending excess household energy back to the grid for use during times when electricity costs are high. When electricity is in short supply, 0 Series models can supply to the power grid, contributing to electricity-supply stabilization.