What's the news?
Honda's wonderful and incoming little E city electric vehicle (EV) is generating a lot of interest, and now we have full details on the chassis, battery and charging times for the urban EV.
The dedicated EV platform underneath the car features a water-cooled 35.5kWh lithium-ion battery, which can be charged using either a Type 2 AC connection of a CCS2 DC rapid charger. An LED indicator shows off the vehicle's charge status at any given time.
Honda has placed the battery pack within the wheelbase under the floor of the passenger compartment, so the weight distribution is 50:50 front-to-rear and there's a low-centre of gravity. As we already know from previous stories on the Honda E, it'll be rear-wheel drive and will feature independent suspension at all four corners - with some components here made from forged aluminium.
Honda is claiming that the E will be capable of more than 200km on a full charge, with the CCS2 DC port allowing 80 per cent of the battery's power to be rejuvenated in just 30 minutes. The charging port itself is integrated into the bonnet of the urban EV.
Anything else?
Honda wants 100 per cent of its products sold in Europe by 2025 to have electric or part-electric power, with the Honda E being the pioneer of this move. So far, the Japanese outfit has received 31,000 expressions of interest in the electric city car from across Europe.