IS THE HONDA E A DIRECT RIVAL FOR THE BMW i3?
Could the new Japanese EV be serious competition for the i3?
WHY ALL THE FUSS?
Honda has released further information regarding its new city car, the Honda e, ahead of its debut later this year. The car, which is available to order, will arrive with a 50/50 weight distribution and a low centre of gravity due to the clever placement of its batteries low within the chassis.
Power will be transferred to the rear wheels and will have four-wheel independent suspension. The 'e' will use a liquid cooled 35.5 kWh battery that delivers a range of more than 125 miles. The 'e' will make its first UK appearance at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed alongside other cars on the Honda stand. The e will appear at Goodwood "95% true to its production version".
WHERE DID IT COME FROM?
The 'e' is based on the Urban EV concept, which was revealed at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. Honda has confirmed that many of the cars features will be present on the production version of the Honda e. These features include the wing mirror system, which Honda say reduces drag by up to 90% which, most importantly, maximises range.
Technical information provided by Honda.com
A near production version of the e was premiered at the Geneva Motor Show, dubbed the "e prototype", the 'e' name will stay for the production version and revealed a variety of paint colours for customers at launch.
Anything else?
The e will be built in Japan and is planned to go on sale in selected European markets in late 2019, with others following in 2020. It will also be sold in Japan.
A spokesperson for Honda has said "it is important that the car is affordable but a low price is mot always a guarantee of success, when you look at Apple and their expensive products, everyone still wants to have them because of their added value and we believe that it is the same for the electric vehicle". Honda have definitely left the impression that they intend to be the best in the EV market, a feat that is not easy but if achieved will be iconic.
Join In
Comments (8)
yes, and it will beat it.
It certainly looks better
The BMW i3 has already proved its efficiency and its autonomy. The Honda E needs to do the same thing on the road. I don't doubt the new EV will be a success. The Japanese car maker are really good in this segment.
It looks pretty good
This looks so good