Honda wants its next-gen EVs to have VTEC, sort of

Honda VTEC sound lives on in electric age

The glorious sound of a high-revving engine accelerating to its redline is something we always look for when driving EVs. While an EV is capable of accelerating much faster than a combustion-engined vehicle, the lack of sound rather dulls the excitement.

That is something automakers are trying to fill as they transition into the electric age. First, it was Hyundai that simulated a gas car in an EV with a virtual engine mode for the Ioniq 5 N. Now, it looks like it’s Honda’s turn to do so.

The Japanese automaker demonstrated a possible feature for its next-gen EVs called the 0 Series. At the touch of a button, the Honda EV can sound like an S2000, an NSX, or even an FL5 Civic Type R. And yes, it’s complete with the dedicated VTEC button to simulate the cam lobe switchover that makes 90s Civics go bwahhhh. InsideEVs was able to record what it sounds like on a YouTube short.

Each mode also corresponds to a change in the digital gauge cluster graphics. So if you switch to an S2000 engine sound, the digital display also replicates the F1-style gauge cluster of Honda’s glorious rear-wheel-drive roadster. And just to flex this feature a bit more, Honda even had fun and put in the sounds of their airplane called the HondaJet.

For now, Honda has not confirmed which EVs will have this feature. The automaker, however, has promised to keep the joy of driving with the feeling of oneness with the vehicle even in the electric age.

Hyundai was successful in giving the driver engagement that enthusiasts want with the Ioniq 5 N. And if Honda’s system would do the same, or even better, then Honda’s got a good thing going on with its EVs.