Honda Prologue to Electrification

Honda has been a household name for decades but this is the first time you'll find a truly competitive electric vehicle wearing a Honda badge (albeit a redesigned one). The Prologue represents a unique step in what is already an unusual electrification journey but where Honda has previously taken risks in bringing their efficient models to market they've chosen this time to take a more conservative approach. What I'm most excited for is to see what happens after the Prologue and hopefully it's a story worth tuning in to.
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00:00 Introduction
00:24 Honda Prologue
01:30 Hybrid Hopes
03:07 Plug In Products
04:29 Present Snapshot
05:38 Future Forward
06:59 In Conclusion

[@TalismanPHX]

Much better looking than the Blazer 😮

[@EVBuyersGuide]

It could just be the color but even without it I think you're right. -Travis

[@JoeE.]

It is better. But I'm still leaning towards buying a hybrid and not EV.

[@wackit6756]

Wow! I really enjoyed your clear and concise review of this Honda and it’s their future. Can you introduce yourself? I’ve been watching Alex for years but missed the introductions for the new crew (if there were any).You’ve got my attention! ✌️

[@EVBuyersGuide]

You can find our team introduction here --> kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKrXnYKbjsyXjdEsi=zYS8Y2Q-z_xYEAGE I've been with the Buyers Guide team for going on six months but I've been a "car person" my whole life and am particularly interested in the new wave of "electrified" vehicles; that's why you'll find me on both Auto Buyers Guide and EV Buyers Guide. Thanks for tuning in! -Travis

[@Rioichi4]

Its honestly really exciting to see a car manufacturer's journey, the previous awkward attempts at electrification, and then what actually stuck.

[@EVBuyersGuide]

Hopefully for Honda and it's customers this one sticks better than some of their other efforts. -Travis

[@RisoSystems]

You missed one. The Honda EV+. Yes they were test beds, only about 300 made. But they were the source of a lot of information which Honda went on to use in other vehicles. I know. I had one.

[@EVBuyersGuide]

The Honda EV+ and the Fit EV fall into a similar category but since neither were mainstream I didn't include them in this discussion. However, both of those vehicles are an example of Honda testing the waters and gathering data and I give them a lot of credit for those efforts. I tried to get a Fit EV for myself back in the day. -Travis

[@apterachallenge]

No mention of the Honda e? Or was that not available in the US?

[@EVBuyersGuide]

Never available in the US and I doubt it would have sold well. Not to say I wouldn't have been interested myself. -Travis

[@freddiecarr7602]

My 2104 Accord plug-in was ( is) one of the most fun cars to drive as the 2.0 always seemed a little too much for the software settings! My 2018 dog Clarity Plug-in now has 160,000 and time to replace. I am leaning toward the Prologue with rebates etc. so great video!

[@EVBuyersGuide]

Glad you enjoyed it, hopefully you enjoy the Prologue! -Travis

[@daweed980]

Thanks for sharing Honda's story to electrification. It's a shame they had to collaborate with GM to get to this point since they had such a head start with the Insight. I'm rooting for them nevertheless. Great job Travis

[@EVBuyersGuide]

I don't think it's functionally the shame that people theorize it will be. For those wondering I would highly suggest taking it for a spin before passing final judgement. For what it's worth I would consider putting one in the garage. And thanks for watching! -Travis

[@FuncleChuck]

I loved my Honda Clarity PHEV. Truly a genius design. I just wish they’d put a little more love into that car, and made a new generation.

[@faeinthebay]

It was cool but a bit weird. It had their old tech, including the questionable blind spot camera. And rear visibility wasn't great through the split windows. They did a pretty great job with a hybrid powertrain though.

[@EVBuyersGuide]

The PHEV was the best of that bunch in my opinion and at the time competition was really only the Chevy Volt and Kia Niro PHEV and only one of those still stands today. -Travis

[@JCo-bx3tq]

​@@faeinthebay What was so weird about the bling spot camera? I had the 2019 insight and loved the blind spot camera when trying to get across 7+ lanes.

[@faeinthebay]

@@JCo-bx3tq for me, it took too long to load and the screen was pretty far down.

[@ALMX5DP]

Any thoughts on how production will go? I know the news of the Ultium production difficulties may be a bit hyped but I wonder if Honda has any influence in how many of these Prologues will be built if there is still somewhat of a bottleneck with others on the same production line.

[@EVBuyersGuide]

Honda said they aren't concerned about production and I would guess they have contractual levers or assurances on production numbers. -Travis

[@ALMX5DP]

@@EVBuyersGuide makes sense, thanks for the reply.

[@nephipower]

I wish a lot more was shown on the inside of the car and your opinion of it

[@EVBuyersGuide]

Thanks for the feedback, you can find our full walkthrough of the Prologue on Auto Buyers Guide and my opinion of it is overall positive. -Travis

[@Tinrs80]

Good video. I agree i wish more companies would partner up. I see very little Blazer in this and only really know cause of Journalist saying.

[@EVBuyersGuide]

I suspect most folks who walk into a Honda dealer and look at this will be in the same boat and have no idea there's a GM connection. -Travis

[@alliejr]

@@EVBuyersGuideUntil they see the interior which is (sadly) all crappy GM switchgear and not what Honda owners would expect.

[@BensEcoAdvntr]

Honda also offered a Fit EV for leasing only. Don’t know if any are still around though

[@EVBuyersGuide]

They did but that was in such low numbers and essentially only available in California so I figured it was ok to skip for the time being. -Travis

[@jamespaul2587]

I believe they were all crushed following the lease returns, like the EV1

[@BensEcoAdvntr]

@@jamespaul2587 😞

[@paul8699]

I watched this at 110% speed and it feels much more Alex-like. Just an idea for editing, or other viewers.

[@EVBuyersGuide]

Thank you for the feedback and for watching. -Travis

[@jamespaul2587]

Good suggestion, however I prefer a more relaxed and natural conversation speed.

[@nevco8774]

The history of Honda's electrictrification includes mostly a list of failures except its Clarity PHEV. Hopefully this one vehicle will have a better fate.

[@EVBuyersGuide]

Sales failures, yes, but I think there were some fairly clever attempts made that just didn't quite stick. -Travis

[@jamespaul2587]

Clarity was also a sales failure, and a vehicle that Honda never promoted, as a PHEV or as a very limited production compliance EV.

[@nevco8774]

@@jamespaul2587 Yes, that was Clarity, a real marketing failure. However it was a very solid, reliable, roomy, practical, desirable vehicle.

[@CMCNestT]

It looks Honda Homely. I think they should offer the 105 kWh battery in the Elite Model if not the higher spec motors of Blazer EV SS. Acura ZDX is a no go for me since it doesn't have grab handles over the front passenger door.

[@EVBuyersGuide]

Everyone has their things. -Travis

[@jamespaul2587]

To me, It looks far better and with a more useful design than the oddly styled Clarity

[@garyturner2272]

if Honda wants to sell these they will have to cut the price by $20,000 minimum, EV sales are cratering

[@EVBuyersGuide]

$20,000 seems like a pretty arbitrary number but one of the big things the Prologue has going for it is access to the $7,500 federal tax credit and that's something a lot of it's competition doesn't have. -Travis

[@mikemcallister3138]

Review is useful, professional, well done. Now, about the price ? What about a comparison to say, Volvo or BMW ?

[@EVBuyersGuide]

Hi Mike, you can find a more detailed review on our sister channel Auto Buyers Guide (link in the description). The Prologue starts at $48,795 (including destination fee) and with a starting price like that there isn't a lot of comparison to be made with current Volvo or BMW offerings. T he closest would be the Volvo XC40 but that's thousands of dollars more and a size category below the Prologue. -Travis.

[@samc5821]

Good job Travis!

[@EVBuyersGuide]

Thank you! -Travis

[@guylr7390]

A better GM product but really just another one and done misstep for Honda. Something went wrong in the GM Honda relationship a breakup happened.

[@EVBuyersGuide]

A breakup did occur but I don't see how one can call this a misstep when it hasn't even reached customers yet. Seens a little premature. -Travis

[@guylr7390]

@@EVBuyersGuide I see it as an orphan even before the first one reaches a dealership. Ten years from now will there be body, interior parts and electronics?

[@Benyuri7]

Seems hypocritical for Honda when you consider the up and coming hydrogen and electric hybrid CR-V.

[@EVBuyersGuide]

Why hypocritical? I don't think I understand where you're coming from there. -Travis

[@Benyuri7]

@@EVBuyersGuide Honda's hesitation to build their EV from the ground up vs. Collaborating (at best) or using GM's platform which a lot of ways deviate from Honda's philosophy. It would seem a better business decision to use the GM Blazer platform for the pHEV(hydrogen) and have the CR-V be a full EV. 1. Prologue/Blazer/Lyriq is larger than CR-Z, and scaling is more effective with hydrogen. The greater or larger the scale(platform) the more efficient hydrogen becomes(primarily for storage). 2. Greater opportunity (for GM/Honda) to share and partner in expanding hydrogen beyond California borders while supplemented by exchanging EV tech. A CR-V EV would maximize space a lot better vs. a massive hydrogen tanks and undersize battery and e-motor. 3. It further differentiates itself from the Blaze and Lyriq with hydrogen. While the EV CR-V competes in the larger market against the Mach E and X. Basically marketing wise, look at it as the EV Prologue and the hybrid hydrogen CR-V are cosplaying each other to their detriment.

[@Benyuri7]

@@EVBuyersGuide Their uncertainty for embracing an EV platform while going above and beyond for a Fuel Cell plugin CR-V which is more complex.

[@EVBuyersGuide]

The Prologue isn't going to be Honda's only EV. The way I see it is this is the quickest way they could get an EV to market without making major compromises to their future EV plans. By minimizing the development needed for this model they can put more time, resources, and thought to their own ground up EV architecture. -Travis

[@billyjean2905]

Honda, Toyata, they're just late for party whatever. Among the Japanese manufacturers, Nissan is only one that competitive. I don't mean Nissan is superb, but Honda and Toyota both are merely incompetitive when in tomes to EV. They're making EV only to meet the regulation or standard not to sell it.

[@EVBuyersGuide]

I'm not sure I would look to Nissan and declare them the most competitive of the 3 you mentioned. They've been at it for a long time with the Leaf and are far from "leading the pack". -Travis

[@FuncleChuck]

I disagree. Yes, they’re not in the game. They’re playing a different game, waiting for the bleeding edge companies to bleed themselves badly, they will swoop in to lead the next generation. They’re still global superpowers for manufacturing- they just don’t have the incentives to switch yet.

[@markb3866]

EV are done for a while. This one looks like an appliance.

[@EVBuyersGuide]

I would argue they aren't at all done for awhile and I can't say I see "appliance" when I look at this one. -Travis