The Honda E is Starting to Sound Like a Lot of Fun
Honda has released a few new details regarding its upcoming, and adorable, electric runabout. Based on the Urban EV concept we saw debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2017, the Honde E has endured some minor changes. Rounder than before, the vehicle’s headlamps are no longer partially obfuscated by the hood. The tail lights have also been converted to circles, giving the car a slightly goofy — but not unpleasant — external demeanor.
Having opened the (refundable) reservation booklet in May, Honda promised a quintet of color options and a standard side-mounted camera mirror system that effectively makes the model impossible to get in the United States. For now, the Japanese automaker seems content targeting European city dwellers who need more than a bicycle to get around or just happen to be in the market for a cute little electric car that might be a lot of fun to drive.
As this is a still prototype, everything is subject to change (including its name). But Honda has repeatedly insisted that it wants the production version of the E to stick as closely to the original idea as possible.
So far, the manufacturer has done a decent job… even if it did abandon the glorious bench seats we saw in the concept. However Honda’s promising the rear-drive platform’s wide stance and 50:50 weight distribution should deliver “dynamic driving characteristics,” so buckets are probably for the best.
The Honda E’s base — and probably only — motor at launch is said to deliver approximately 150 PS (110 kW/148 hp) of power, with torque being somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 Nm (221 lb-ft). Fed energy from a 35.5 kWh lithium-ion battery, Honda is estimating a 125-mile range (or better). Restoring a depleted battery is said to be “quick,” with customers able to expect 80 percent of the car’s total charge returning in 30 minutes under idyllic circumstances.
No pricing details have been revealed but Europeans can reserve one now. The production version will emerge later this year.
[Images: Honda]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
More by Matt Posky
Comments
Join the conversation
I think it's likely that they can't build enough to sell them here. Honda is a bit player in Europe. Scaling this up to meet even modest US demand would probably require a significantly larger investment in production facilities given Honda's sales in the US. Yes also they'd probably have to Americanized it with respect to range as so called urban cars don't do that well here. Can we just get a Fit that looks like this?
RWD e for warm climates only! No AWD version available! Weight is 50-50 may or may not help in snow?