Initial reviews of the Honda Fit EV are very promising. Some lucky journalists were able to test drive the Honda Fit EV in Japan earlier this year. Although the test drives were short, they said the Honda Fit EV drove better than they expected, accelerated great, turned and stopped well, and was just a lot of fun to drive.
While the specs that Honda has released are quite limited, the Honda Fit EV is shaping up to be a well rounded electric vehicle.
Honda Fit EV Range
Primary estimates by Honda pegged the Honda Fit EV at 123 MPG in the city, and 76 MPG on the highway (unadjusted). 76 combined MPG range adjusted.
The official EPA ratings are 118MPGe (which beats out the Mitsubishi i at 112 MPGe) with a range of 82 miles.
Honda Fit EV Battery
The battery pack on the Honda Fit EV is a 20kWh lithium-ion battery.
Honda Fit EV Charging Times
Charging the Honda Fit EV battery can take as little as 3 hours using a 240-volt circuit. Charging can take up to 12 hours using a standard 120 volt household plug.
I’ve driven electric cars for the past five years and whilst the temperature rarely goes below 14 degrees F in my part of the world, I have found them superb in cold, icy conditions.I was recently in Sweden with Volvo where they have been testing their prototype electric cars down to -22b0F and they have also not reported problems.The two electric cars I have had over this past winter have been the Mitsubishi i and the G-Wiz. Both are rear wheel drive and both of them consistently out-perform conventional gas cars in the snow. Traction and grip is improved and because the motor is used for both acceleration and slowing down (through regenerative braking), and because there are no gear changes, the drive is exceptionally smooth, which is absolutely ideal in really icy and snowy conditions.The Mitsubishi i is a very small car by US standards. However, interior space is surprisingly large it has more headroom and legroom than a Nissan LEAF. It weighs approximately 2,600lb.The G-Wiz is a tiny city car, about the size of a Smart ForTwo. It weighs approximately 1,550lb.The issue you do get with electric cars is the range drops in winter: when the temperature drops below 30b0F the range does deteriorate and below 20b0F it can be around half what its normal range would be.I did a video review of the Mitsubishi i last week . I have also blogged about my electric car usage including winter driving.
I have had my Fit EV for about three weeks now. Driving it is a revelation…quick and silent, instant response. After driving it, I got in my Acura TL the other day and it felt primitive in comparison.
Who knows how my opinion will change over the three year lease period, but right now, I would say that when Honda demands the car back at the end of the lease, they will have to kill me and pry the key out of my cold dead hand.
Awesome – glad to hear you’re loving the Fit EV!