Honda has harnessed the skills of its racing engineers for a noble cause – bringing joy to young patients. This was accomplished through the creation of a specially designed electric vehicle (EV) intended for children between the ages of 4 and 9. These miniature EVs will transport young patients to and from medical procedures and appointments within hospital corridors. Dubbed the “Honda Shogo,” this unique kid’s ride will be manufactured in a limited run of 60 units, with deliveries planned for multiple hospitals across the United States.
If the EV looks familiar, it’s because we have already covered Honda’s “Project Courage” when it commenced in December 2021. At the time, only one prototype of the Honda Shogo was deployed at the Children’s Health of Orange County (CHOC) and is still in service. Today, the automaker has unveiled an expanded initiative known as “Project Courage 2.0,” enabling more young patients to experience the EV through collaboration with its dealer network in the US.
The Shogo was designed, developed, and hand-assembled in-house by Honda engineers. Production of the 60 kid-sized EVs is already underway at the Honda Performance Development (HPD) facilities in California which further improved the design. The first two examples have already been delivered to hospitals in Indiana (Riley Hospital for Children) and Ohio (Akron Children’s), with additional hospitals in various US states scheduled to receive them this fall.
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Despite its tiny footprint, the Shogo has several styling and engineering references to Honda vehicles. It features an open-air single-seater cabin with special mounts for medical equipment at the back, a frunk or “toy bucket”, soft-touch easy-to-clean materials, and customizable license plates bearing the name of the driver.
Honda Racing Engineers have made several updates to the EV compared to the original prototype. These include an improved battery pack, a new horn, more refined feedback on the steering wheel controls, and additional components borrowed from racing vehicles. Notably, these components include steering shaft washers and front knuckle bearings sourced from IndyCar, as well as the steering mechanism from a Honda-powered Go Kart.
This setup allows the young driver to accelerate, steer, or brake using only their hands. To ensure safety, the top speed can be adjusted within a range of 1-5 mph (1.6-8 km/h), and the vehicle can also be manually pushed by the supervising adult using the rear handlebar.
Honda’s goal is to “bring the power of joy and laughter to hospitalized children” and judging from the video, it looks like it has succeeded. Young patients enjoy driving themselves to their appointments, making hospital trips more enjoyable and fun. The yoke-shaped steering wheel adds to the excitement, particularly for children spending significant time in a hospital environment.
