Honda forms largest EV partner network in the US despite not yet selling an EV in the country

Honda is touting today that drivers of its EVs will soon have access to the most amount of charging locations in America. This is thanks to just-announced agreements with EVgo and Electrify America, two of the largest EV charging networks in the States. Honda previously signed on with the NACS charging standard, granting access to Tesla’s massive Supercharger network. Together, along with a joint venture with six other automakers, Honda is likely correct in saying its owners have the most options to recharge their EVs.

Now Honda needs to make some EVs. It has yet to release a modern EV in the American market, making today’s announcement fall flat.

Honda has sold and leased electric vehicles since the ’90s, but in limited quantities. The adorable and affordable Honda e is the company’s most recent entry. The subcompact hit the European and Japanese markets in 2020, and its sales have yet to top 4,000 units. The Honda Clarity Electric was the last EV it brought to the American market, and only leased the vehicle to consumers in two markets, ending in 2022.

Honda’s near-term EV strategy hinges on a partnership with General Motors and its flexible Ultium EV platform. Announced in 2022, this partnership to date has produced two Honda electric vehicles: The Acura ZDX, and announced today, the Honda Prologue. Both are built on GM’s platform and are similar in size though the ZDX packs a lot more power (and a higher price). These two will be the first zero-emissions vehicles from Honda produced in significant volumes, with 45,000 Prologues expected in the first year and 70,000 afterward. At launch, the ZDX and Prologue will ship with the older CCS charging connector and, sometime in 2024 or 2025, will later gain adapters to charge at Tesla Superchargers.

But Honda is just getting started. It said previously that the company is targeting 30 EV models by 2030 with a production volume of more than 2 million vehicles a year — plenty to take advantage of this large charging network.