Automotive

Cute little Honda e has already attracted 25,000 reservations

Cute little Honda e has already attracted 25,000 reservations
It's tiny, cute, practical and ready to hit the road in 2020
It's tiny, cute, practical and ready to hit the road in 2020
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It's tiny, cute, practical and ready to hit the road in 2020
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It's tiny, cute, practical and ready to hit the road in 2020
The Honda e's simple, clean design and charming early Civic-like looks make it tailor-made for city getabout duties
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The Honda e's simple, clean design and charming early Civic-like looks make it tailor-made for city getabout duties
Range will be over 125 miles, with 30-minute fast charging to 80 percent available
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Range will be over 125 miles, with 30-minute fast charging to 80 percent available
The "Urban EV" concept first shown in 2017
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The "Urban EV" concept first shown in 2017
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With a range over 125 mi (200 km) and the capability to fast-charge from 0-80 percent in just 30 minutes, the Honda e is a tiny, simple electric getabout poised to launch soon with deliveries starting in (Northern Hemisphere) spring 2020. And Honda says it's already taken a substantial number of reservations.

We first saw this thing as the "Urban EV Concept" at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2017. Compact, practical, cute and clearly aimed at the European market, it looked a bit like the first Honda Civics from the 70s, and won plenty of admiration with its no-nonsense approach.

The "Urban EV" concept first shown in 2017
The "Urban EV" concept first shown in 2017

Now, it's going to production with a refined design that keeps the basic proportions and clean, smooth lines of the concept. It'll be a rear-wheel drive, although no power or torque specifications are public yet, and it's built from the ground up as an urban EV platform.

Honda says it'll rock a dual touch-screen interface to keep drivers and passengers "engaged with their connected lifestyle," and says the interior will be spacious, contemporary, comfortable and "lounge-like."

The Honda e's simple, clean design and charming early Civic-like looks make it tailor-made for city getabout duties
The Honda e's simple, clean design and charming early Civic-like looks make it tailor-made for city getabout duties

The company is now taking reservations online at the Honda website, but only in selected markets: Germany, France, Norway and the UK. More than 25,000 "registrations of interest" are already in, securing folks a place in the production queue ahead of the company starting to take orders later this year.

Source: Honda

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12 comments
12 comments
Nik
Seems fine for town dwellers, who never want to travel out of town. Otherwise, a two car ownership will be essential.
minivini
I really love the design and how Honda kept it pretty close to the concept. I’d really love to see this with double the range. It sits in line with our current LEAF, which is a great city car, but the travel radius is just a tad short for ultimate usability. It’s target market, though (people who drive fewer than 50 miles per day) should be thrilled with this car!
guzmanchinky
Here's the conundrum: It's a city car. Most people in cities have no garage to plug it in...
Hasler
Perhaps Honda could be honest and reveal the approx mileage at which, for an ideal owner, the batteries will reach 'half-life' and the range will be down to a mere 62 miles. Then what percent of battery capacity will be lost when it is 5 C outside. Also how passengers will be heated during the winter months.
Ned Baldwin
This is a suburban car and its 125 mi range is very adequate for most metropolitan areas. For the occasional long trip, rather than owning a second car, consider renting one. This is a great car which would be even greater with AWD. I would buy one tomorrow if they were available... NED
rpark
...looks a little like the AMC Gremlin from the early 70's.
TC62
I hate the term "city car", I live in the countryside and small so called city cars are ideal for the country lanes around here. The nearby village is 2 miles away, 5 miles to the small town and 10 miles to the big town. Filling up with petrol would mean driving to town, there are no small local garages anymore, with an electric vehicle all I would have to do is plug in.
IvanWashington
those big wagonwheels and rubberband tires and limited suspension travel means the ride will likely be teeth-chatteringly rough over anything other than glass-smooth roads. why oh WHY can they not go back to regular wheels with nice high-profile rubber and make them ride more softly like they did before?
KaiserPingo
It's got a lot of the old Peugeot design...
Imran Sheikh
I like the retro design, appears to to be a concept car from 80's, still practical. Just paint it more off white.
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