Japanese car maker Honda was one of the first to the hybrid market with the futuristic looking first version of the Insight back in 1999, but it has been one of the laggards when it comes to transition to full battery electric vehicles.
Thus far, Honda have produced one only full battery model – the Honda e. Whilst it is both cute looking and, by reports, quite a compelling EV in its segment, it is still a niche EV due to it being a smaller city car with a range of around 220km.
However, Honda do now have plans to invest something like $A55 billion to bring 30 different EV models to market by 2030.
That investment is now becoming to show through, with a second full-battery model called the e Ny1 being revealed last week at a Honda media event in Offenbach, Germany.
In appearance, the e Ny1 is a small SUV (described by Honda as a ‘coupe-style’ SUV) with the now almost ubiquitous hidden rear door handles, panoramic glass roof and a ‘light-bar’ style rear lighting layout.
Top-end models will even include Honda’s ‘Parking Pilot’ system that, when enabled, can auto park the vehicle. The interior includes a 38.4 cm (15.1 inch) screen plus physical buttons, wireless phone charging and all the usual roominess that a full-battery chassis offers.
Under the skin, the e Ny1 has a 68.8 kWh battery with a claimed WLTP range of around 412 km and a maximum power output of 150 kW.
The released charging specs are however a little more skimpy. Thus far, Honda have simply said its maximum recharge rate on a 100 kW DC charger will result in a 10 to 80% charge in 45 minutes/recouping 100 km of range every 11 minutes.
This suggests its maximum DC charge rate is indeed somewhere around 100 kW. As for AC charging – no specs whatever have been released yet so whether it will be 6.6 kW, 7-ish or even perhaps the evolving standard of 11 kW, so we will have to wait for later updates on the model.
The e Ny1 is expected to be released late this year in Europe and will compete there with the likes of the Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV, Jeep Avenger and Peugeot e-2008.
As to when we might start to see Honda full electric cars here: Honda Australia are not planning for them to arrive any time soon. Their current stated focus is on hybrids, with the reason given that the regional and rural Australian markets can’t cope with full battery EVs yet.
To me that sounds more like an excuse because Honda is behind the eight-ball on EVs for a reason – and as someone who has travelled extensively by EV in regional and rural Australia, I have found even my older tech Kona electric perfectly up to the task.
Honda’s planned A55 billion EV investment does, however, mean that in the near future they will be building practical, compelling EVs (like the e Ny1 sounds): so hopefully Honda Australia’s ‘reason’ for not importing any may evaporate as soon as Honda actually have some BEVs to sell!
Bryce Gaton is an expert on electric vehicles and contributor for The Driven and Renew Economy. He has been working in the EV sector since 2008 and is currently working as EV electrical safety trainer/supervisor for the University of Melbourne. He also provides support for the EV Transition to business, government and the public through his EV Transition consultancy EVchoice.