At the 2017 International Motor Show that took place in Germany, the automaker revealed its Urban EV. In late 2019, a production version – named the Honda-E became a reality.
The Honda-E is so retro and charming, you might be fooled into thinking it came to us straight from the Art Deco era. It is not a budget vehicle with the prices ranging between US$44300 and US$45800 in Europe.
The Yellow is the only paint colour that’s standard; black, blue, white and grey are all US$660 extra, which seems a little odd. You can also add leather, but the standard seats are finished in a soft-yet-textured fabric that looks great and is comfortable.
The biggest area of the dashboard is taken up by a couple of touchscreens. These are the main infotainment displays, giving you access to a bunch of in-built apps and services via pinch or swipe actions. Functions can also be exchanged between the screens, enabling you and your front-seat passenger to view separate apps.
Other tech includes Honda’s “Side Camera Mirror System”. Instead of conventional side mirrors, cameras feed live images of what’s around you onto two screens inside the car.
On a full charge, the Honda-E will manage 220 kilometers on 16-inch alloy wheels, or 200 kilometers on 17-inch alloys. But, as with all electric vehicles, different conditions will affect the range.
Because it's an electric vehicle, there are no gears – but the Honda-E offers a “Single Pedal Control System” for enhancing driving efficiency. When prompted, it enables you to effortlessly speed up, slow and stop the Honda using only the accelerator pedal. It’s all very clever and will help take the stress out of regular commuting.
Oh, and one more thing, the car has a turning radius of just 4.3 meters – making it remarkably maneuverable in small city streets.