The ‘Honda e’ is Honda’s attempt to make a splash in the EV space with an all-electric hatchback. The company has just revealed the powertrain to be used in the car. The Honda e will use a 35.5 kWh lithium-ion battery that will be mounted under the floor of the car and will be positioned centrally to give the car a 50:50 weight distribution.
The battery will be powering the rear wheels making the EV a rear-wheel drive. Honda claims that the car will have a range of over 200km. The battery can be charged using either Type 2 AC connection or a CCS2 DC rapid charger and should charge up to 80 per cent capacity in 30 minutes using a fast charger. The charging port is integrated into the bonnet with an LED that indicates the charge status. The battery is water-cooled to keep thermals in check. The dashboard on the EV will feature two outer screens displaying the live feed from the side cameras, a driver’s information display behind the steering wheel, and two more screens displaying infotainment information.
The EV will make approximately 148bhp of power and 300Nm of torque, which should give it ‘hothatch-esque’ performance. The car will be equipped with four-wheel independent suspension. Some elements of the suspension comprise of forged aluminium to reduce weight. Honda e will also offer single pedal control. What this means is that the car will accelerate when the accelerator pedal is pressed and when the pedal is released, automatic regenerative braking will occur. This will help improve efficiency and will also make things convenient for the driver as one won’t have to reach for multiple pedals.
The ‘Honda e’ is a part of Honda’s plans to push electric technology to their entire product line-up by 2025. Bookings for the car are open in certain European countries with deliveries expected to begin in 2020. However, there is no word on when the car will hit Indian shores.
Words by Karan Ramgopal