TECH INSIDER | HONDA E
14 // July 2019 // www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com
pedal. Variable regenerative braking and a
Sport driving mode can be selected via the
touchscreen center console, and the drivetrain
layout offers two main benefits. “By making
it rear-wheel drive we could realize a much
bigger steering angle, and also when realizing
an agile driving characteristic in an urban
areas, rear-wheel drive is always beneficial,”
says Hitomi-san.
Flexible friend
Ease of use was also a focus during development.
The Honda e uses either a Type 2 AC connection
or a Combined Charging System (CCS) plug for DC
rapid charging, offering 80% top-up in around half
an hour. Its charging socket is under a black-tinted
glass cover on the hood, avoiding the need to
bend down to plug it in, and features LED lighting
showing charging status. Honda opted not to use
CHAdeMO as it sees CCS steadily becoming
the more popular system in Europe.
For added flexibility, the Honda
e offers scheduled charging
and pre-conditioning, and
the charger is designed for
the Honda Power Manager
vehicle-to-grid technology
– feasibility studies of a
commercial version are due
to begin in Islington, UK and
Offenbach, Germany by the
end of the year.
With plans for range-wide
electrification by 2025, Hitomi-san
says developing its own EV technology keeps
some useful competencies in-house. “Honda
has always followed a path of, if it comes to
advanced technology, you have to work on
these technologies by yourself in order to be
number one. If you start buying these from
suppliers then you’re always number two.”
incorporating many vehicle types, from a sports
car up to a compact SUV. At the moment there
are no plans we can talk about.”
The car will feature a water-cooled
35.5kWh lithium-ion high-capacity
battery that Hitomi-san says was
co-developed with Panasonic
and derived from the 17kWh
pack used in the Clarity plugin
Hybrid. It offers a range of
around 200km (124 miles)
and its 200kg (441lbs)
under-floor mass contributes
to a 50:50 low center of
gravity for city-friendly agility.
Concept-like aerodynamic
features, such as the pop-out door
handles and wide-angle cameras used
instead of side mirrors, will make it onto the
production version.
The rear-mounted motor produces around
150ps with peak torque in excess of 300Nm
(221lb.ft). The Honda e will offer single pedal
control, enabling the driver to accelerate
and slow the car using only the accelerator
2
4
3
5
6
2. The rear-wheel drive
setup aids agility
3. The charging socket is
on the hood, so users
don’t have to bend down
4. The Honda e is fi tted
with side cameras rather
than mirrors, which aids
aerodynamic effi ciency
5. The Honda Power
Manager is a wallmounted
inverter
6. Hohei Hitomi believes
in developing proprietary
EV technology to stay
ahead of the market
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