Honda has shared an update on the progress of its forthcoming Honda EV Hub in Ohio, which the OEM says will flexibly produce petrol, hybrid-electric, and battery-electric vehicles on the same manufacturing line.
The OEM also confirmed that the first EV to be made at the Marysville Auto Plant (one of three key areas of the new EV Hub) will be a new model based on the recently revealed Acura Performance EV Concept. The EV Hub is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, with an annual capacity of approximately 40 GWh at launch.
The automaker is today retooling its Marysville, East Liberty and the Anna plants to reimagine its approach to vehicle production, with a focus on human-friendly, environmentally responsible, manufacturing layouts, processes and materials that achieve the highest level of quality, efficiency, and value to customers.
Today, Honda’s retooling efforts in Ohio include the installation of the first of six 6,000-ton high-pressure die cast machines at the Anna Engine Plant. These will facilitate the megacasting of cases for the Intelligent Power Unit (IPU), which itself houses the EV battery and serves as part of the vehicle platform.
After consolidating two vehicle production lines into one to begin the transition to the flexible production line, the Marysville Auto Plant is now preparing for a new capability to Honda – the sub-assembly of the IPU that will power the EVs made at the Honda EV Hub. Here, battery modules from L-H Battery, Inc. (the Honda-LG Energy Solution joint venture EV battery plant being constructed in Ohio) will be combined with the IPU case made at the Anna Engine Plant to create mid- and large-size IPUs for the different vehicles that will then be made at the Marysville and East Liberty Auto Plants in Ohio.
In addition to these updates, Honda also shared progress on its plan to focus its facilities on achieving simple design, manufacturing, and logistics to develop high-quality products that prioritize both the work environment and value to the end customers. In delivering this more holistic work environment, Honda will reduce the complexity of the main production line by enabling process layouts that, in turn, reduce the walking distance required for people working on this line. By changing the flow of certain installation processes, Honda is also looking to increase the space allotted for parts delivery and staging to create an optimized, associate-friendly environment.
