Honda electric cars are back on the scene. The car company stopped making EVs after developing the Honda EV Plus in the late 1990s. A new lineup is planned in 2012.
Honda Fit Electric Car
The new Fit EV looks like the Honda Jazz Hybrid but is all electric. The new Fit is powered by an 84 kW (123 hp) electric motor producing 189 ft-lb of torque. This is nearly the same motor found in the FCX Clarity fuel cell EV.
The Fit however is powered by a 20 AH Li-Ion battery pack that provides about 75 miles of driving range. Top speed is given as 90 mph.
The Fit is to be marketed in the US and Japan. The price is given at around $35,000 though it appears that the Fit will be leased to begin with, in the US at least. Some 1,100 units will be up for lease in selected markets. The first group will be avalilable at $400 per month in the summer of 2012 as a 2013 model.
Test Drives: Test drive reports are very positive. Fit testers report a fun car to drive, and that they would buy the car.
Compare the Fit to the Plus
One of the interesting trends in electric cars is how well constructed the EVs of the last century were built. The Honda Plus was one of those.
The Plus from 1997 featured a 49 kW (66 hp), 288 volt DC motor that could push the car to 80+ mph while posting an EPA estimated 120 miles per charge. The battery pack was not even Li-Ion, it was Ni-MH!
The extra range was not for free, since the car retailed at some $54,000 and leased for $499 per month. Too bad the cars were recalled and smashed like the EV1.
Compare to the Honda Clarity FCX
Honda is also looking ahead to fuel cell days. For comparison to the battery packs of the Plus and Fit, the Clarity fuel cell stack powers a 100 kw (134 hp) electric motor very similat to that in the Fit.
The battery pack recharged by the fuel cells also charges a 288 volt battery pack. The range of the FCX is listed as 240 miles. The car may be leased in some markets at $600 per month.
Honda Concept EVs
Honda has other concepts in the works. The Honda EV-N Concept has been around for a couple of years. The retro rig is not yet in production.
Next is the Honda Micro Commuter Concept super NEV. The car is short at 10 feet / 2.5 meters long. The Micro has a battery pack nearly the size of that in the Fit EV at 16.7 kWh. Top speed is 60 kmh / 37 mph for a range of around 60 km / 37 miles.
Honda EV-Plus - Honda's first Electric Car
15 years later, the Honda Fit EV
Looking ahead and here for lease today is the fuel cell powered Honda Clarity
Honda Insight - 1999
Honda EV-N Concept
Honda Motor Compo Concept
Fits inside the Micro Commuter
