
While we enter the second month of 2025, Honda approaches Bev’s production in its longtime American factory in Marysville, Ohio, later this year. This transition of $ 1 billion will start with the assembly of the recently confirmed Acura RSX EV, followed by the first two models in range 0 of the 0 series. Before that occurs, however, Honda made an exclusive visit From its new EV center in Ohio, which included a new innovative approach to the assembly of modular vehicles, massive press mega-machines and a insightful preview of the positive impact that Honda has established among residents of residents of residents of residents the state of Buckeye. You can see all my tour in the video below.
Although Honda is a world name synonymous with engines and mobility, it is still preparing for its own inheritance in the BEV segment. This process began with two initial all -electric models – Prologue Honda and Acura ZDX, who both had the opportunity to test the reader and share my impressions.
Although these two models put part of Honda’s skin in the game, they are probably only fraction of the DNA of the real design of Honda, which he has since taken in hand looking forward . This future includes the Honda 0 series, which was initially announced in CES 2024 as a “return to zero” mentality for the Japanese car manufacturer.
The 0 series started with two Bev concepts called “Saloon” and “Space Hub”, which have since evolved in the prototypes Honda 0 Saloon and SUV, which made their debut in these a year later and were exhibited at the Honda’s EV Hub In Marysville, Ohio last week.
Marysville, which houses the first and longest Honda American production installation, will soon house the BEV production of the two models mentioned above. First, however, Honda will start to assemble an all -electric ACURA SUV developed from the concept performance EV, which we recently learned will be called the RSX.
Honda still puts the final touch to a billion dollars overhaul of its new EV center in Ohio, but invited a media group to visit several facilities and see where the first real Honda and the Bevs built by Acura will be assembled, from this year later this year.
I documented my visit to a video below, but I will also break it into words for you.
Honda adopts an approach to production
As you can know or not, the Honda EV Hub is part of an investment of $ 1 billion + from the Japanese car manufacturer to reorganize its existing Ohio installations to produce electric vehicles. This includes the reimagination of three existing factories: the Marysville Auto factory (MAP), the East Liberty Auto-Auto (ELP) and the Anna engines factory (AEP).
During my visit to Hub EV, we started at the Marysville Auto factory, which opened in 1979 and built Honda cars since 1982, to see the progress made by the company to reorganize a installation of more than 40 years for the all -electric era while continuing to build ice and charging vehicles.
What we have seen was a unique approach to the assembly of modern vehicles, in which Honda will soon be able to build ice, hybrid-electric and BEV on the same production line. In addition, the automaker can increase or lower any specific vehicle configuration depending on customer demand. Main vice-president, Honda Development & Manufacturing of America, LLC, Bob Schwyn spoke with the media before joining us during the Marysville tour:
The Honda EV Hub offers Honda the flexibility to produce models of ice, hybrid and EV on the same production lines so that we can quickly meet the needs and conditions of the customer market. Beyond the addition of the capacity to produce electric vehicles, we have completely redesigned our production approach, transforming the Honda production environment with processes more suited to humans and sustainable manufacturing practices.
As you will see in my video cover, Honda was building a multitude of agreements, which was interesting in its own right, but what was more exciting was the empty space of the Marysville section of the EV Hub, Where Honda will soon start to assemble its battery platforms before integrating them into vehicles on these same mounting lines, starting with Acura RSX.
As you can see in the image below, Honda has eliminated a massive quantity of space for dedicated assembly of the BEV components, which forced it to delete an entire existing construction line and to be creative On the place where to re -implement other manufacturing components in different parts of the factory – while continuing to build non -Bev models.
According to the Honda team, the HUB EV will hire 300 new employees to specifically manage the assembly of batteries in Marysville. The battery cases for these packs are built in the Anna de Honda engines factory, which I have also been able to visit and have detailed below. These manufactured cases are then transported to Marysville, where the “partners” formed Honda will operate alongside electric guided vehicles (EGV) and robots to assemble the very first EV ownership platform of Honda.
Honda calls the process of “manufacturing parallel modules”, which consists of a network of assembly cells performing assembly tasks in a multilateral manner in which if a cell is slow or completely down for any reason , production can continue.
According to Honda, the first batch of battery assembly cells was installed in Marysville with a second lot to follow in three months. This will put Honda at its targeted launch volume which it can evolve from there according to demand.
The megacast arsenal of Honda breaks the future of EV Hub
After our procedure step by step around Marysville, we took a bus trip to Anna, Ohio, which houses us at the Anna de Honda engines factory – another key room of her Hub EV. Despite its name, Honda not only builds engines in Anna. Yes, it still does it a lot, but AEP is also the new house of vital machines in Honda’s BEV manufacturing.
Honda has installed five of her six megacaste machines of 6,000 tonnes planned for AEP, which will die the cases of battery EV mentioned above and seen in the images below. Massive molded machines, each capable of 300 tonnes of pressure during a filling press, will be used in pairs by Honda as soon as the last machine has been installed.
In order to move megacaste machines in the Anna engines factory, Honda had to widen the door of her plant. Then he installed one to four machines, followed by number six, which has just started operations a few weeks ago. The machine five, which would have been on the way if it had not been installed last, will soon arrive with a lot of time before the start of the production of Acura RSX.
For me personally, it was great to visit AEP and see the megacaste in action because I could see the same machine at the Honda’s R&D Center in Tochigi, Japan, last fall. There, I was told that six others of these megacaste machines would be installed at the Ohio EV Hub.
A few months later, Honda is almost finished with the installation process, and the three pairs will start to press the front and rear battery boxes. While I saw the Megacast machine in action in Japan, it was at a distance. During my visit to the HUB EV, however, Honda took us to one of the machines where we could look at an EV battery housing and closely cut. I documented it in my video below for you!
Another assembly technique that I learned in Tochigi but I could see in person at the Anna engines factory was the welding process of the Honda friction medal. This innovative method produced high resistance welds to combine the two halves of the battery case and the water jacket (view below) while reducing the amount of energy used and the thermal impact on the material in aluminum.
This technique and the overall renovation of Honda’s global hub are part of a broader three -component strategy called “triple action for zero”. Its objective is to achieve a zero environmental impact by 2050 through carbon neutrality, clean energy and resource circulation. This implies all zero sales issues by 2040.
Honda builds electric vehicles in the United States in the right direction
After my visit to Marysville and Anna, walking the mounting channels and chatting with Honda Associates of all levels of the company, I realized that a vestige of the American dream is still present in Ohio. Marysville and Anna are areas in blue colors, and these cities have continued to evolve thanks to Honda’s decision to plant roots on American soil over 40 years ago.
Many people I met during my trip have been with the company for longer than on this land, a second generation, who grew up watching their parents grow up alongside the company and its imprint of the Ohio.
While a large part of the history of American Honda production is a bit fatty and dusty due to engines and combustion, the EV hub provides a new era tie with the starting mentality “Back to Zero” of Honda. I was really impressed by Honda’s ability to rotate, rethink and reuse its existing facilities to support the addition of Bev production.
In addition, the decision to implement these assemblies on the same line as Honda ice and recharge vehicles looks like a pipe dream on paper, but in person, the company seems to have succeeded. But it took everyone to Marysville, East Liberty and Anna to get there. Honda will continue to rely on these associates at the approach of the day when its first tailor-made BEV on its own platform exceeds this mounting chain of Marysville.
With the current political climate and the education and understanding of electric vehicles remaining enormous for Americans and many civil servants who help to govern them, the future of Bev production is troubled. It is frightening, given our enormous progress over the past decade.
However, that people buy ice cars, hybrids, phevs or Bev in years, Honda has heard to adapt and take up the challenge (something that the company is proud) with its hub EV.
I now learned where, the moment and the production of Bev at the Honda EV Hub, but now I am ready for what. From what I have been told, the salon and SUV prototypes of the 0 series are “very close” to the final production design, but the Acura RSX remains a little mystery apart from a camouflaged image.
I expect to know more as soon as this SUV will launch the production of Honda from Honda Hub at the end of 2025. Maybe I can make another trip to Ohio and see it built before driving a moi- even. While we are waiting for this milestone, you can consult my video on tour in the installations of Marysville and Anna at the Honda’s EV Hub below:
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