Honda hasn't been on the front line in championing EVs compared to other auto industries, however, the company has now started to embrace the electric cars. Now Honda has intentions of producing a sports EV.
The Japanese brand unveiled the Honda e this year, which unlike the Clarity Electric and its 89-mile range, will challenge rival EVs. Despite the wonderful retro-hatchback design, Honda has no plans to sell the e in the United States, but there’s news of grander things afoot. To enthusiasts’ delight, Honda has sporting intentions for the architecture.
The tiny EV has a nostalgic design which is inspired by the first-generation Civic MK1 with some futuristic elements. It is one of the more eagerly anticipated electric cars and has been praised for its design, which deviates from current design language. This car will launch at some point in 2019 and will kick-start a new strand of electric cars for the automaker.
It will provide the basis for everything from compact and mid-size sedans to crossovers and have a rear-wheel-drive layout. Another motor mounted upfront will easily create an all-wheel-drive system.
The platform will be better suited to vehicles sold in the U.S., where consumers often prefer larger cars. Unlike the Honda e, which is more of a city runabout, the new platform aims to fit larger batteries to create longer ranges. “Long-distance travel” was a phrase used as one of the platform’s goals. In a country like the U.S., that’s important to car owners.
The platform will accommodate batteries from various suppliers. Right now, the e only fits Panasonic batteries. Although Honda said battery widths will be static, the size of the battery in kWh will be able to shift to accommodate the specific vehicle’s body style and other factors. Again, this refers to larger vehicles popular in the U.S. and even China.
It seems that the carmaker will not stop at the Honda E and is seemingly producing a sporty electric car. Few details are known about this EV but it shares some design with the Honda EV. Most notably this is the headlights and rear lights and some of the black strips and accents. This could be the first glimpse of the Sports EV Concept which was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show 2017.
Then the launch of Honda Urban EV Concept followed which was the initial name for the Honda E.The electric two-seater has some cute and sport design elements which were as retro as the Urban EV. The patent images show a slightly refined version of the sports EV with less severe cures and more swooping rear roofline.
There is no grille at the front which also alludes to the car being electric. Honda has yet to confirm whether or not it is producing an all-electric sports car.
Honda targets a perfect 50/50 weight distribution for all-electric cars built on the electric-car architecture. In combination with an RWD layout, that’s a tantalizing prospect.
